PlainSpending

Rhode Island Federal Spending

$15.1B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #48 of 56).

$15.1B total · $13,799 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #48 total, #26 per capita · 11.7% below national avg

In FY2025, Rhode Island received $15.1B in federal spending - $13,799 per capita, ranking #26 among 56 states and 11.7% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 34.9% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Rhode Island · FY2025

Rhode Island received $15.1B in federal spending in FY2025 - $13,799 per resident, 11.7% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$15.1B
#48 of 56 states
Per resident
$13,799
#26 per capita
Latest annual change
+$651.5M
FY2024 to FY2025 (+4.5%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$5.9B

Thin absolute federal book

Rhode Island is a light absolute book: #48 of 56 with $15.1B.

According to USASpending.gov, Rhode Island carried a thin absolute federal book of $15.1B in FY2025 ($13,799 per resident; population 1,097,379). Total-dollar rank #48 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #26 sits 11.7% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 5,638 contracts, 3,719 grants, 2,892 loans, and 2,995 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 34.9% of tracked awards in the state, with grants a distant second at 3,719 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Rhode Island, with $5.9B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $4.8B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Rhode Island has grown 0.2% from $15.1B in FY2020 to $15.1B in FY2025. Combined with 5 counties receiving dollars and top recipient State of Rhode Island Department of Administration at $2.7B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Rhode Island's federal footprint is expanding, stable, or being scaled back.

Figures are award-transaction data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury). See our methodology for per-capita denominators and award categories.

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) Rhode Island federal awards (contracts, grants, loans, direct payments) for FY2025 · 2025 USAspending.gov publishes award-level data within ~30 days of obligation; categories follow OMB Object Class Codes. Per-capita metrics use Census ACS population estimates as the denominator.

Where this thin absolute book sits

Total Spending

$15.1B

Rank #48

Per Capita

$13,799

Rank #26

Population

1,097,379

Contract Awards

5,638

Grant Awards

3,719

Total Federal Spending

$15.1B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$13,799

Rank #26

Counties Receiving

5

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$5.9B

Social Security Administration

Rhode Island award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards34.9%23%18.5%17.9%ContractsGrantsDirect PaymentsLoansOther
Per-state share of tracked federal awards BY COUNT across major OMB-aligned award types (not a dollar-value breakdown). Mandatory-vs-discretionary marker reflects the entitlement-vs-appropriated split.
Rhode Island per-capita federal spending vs. national average 73.6%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,622 per resident.

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 34.9% of tracked awards in Rhode Island (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 5,638 awards (34.9%)
Grants 3,719 awards (23.0%)
Direct Payments 2,995 awards (18.5%)
Loans 2,892 awards (17.9%)
Other 920 awards (5.7%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Rhode Island National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $13,799 $15,622 -11.7%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Fiscal Resilience Score

A single derived score summarizing how diversified and stable Rhode Island's federal funding mix is, built from four signals already in this page.

B+
Fiscal Resilience Score
76/100
Rhode Island

A transparent derived index from USASpending.gov federal award data, not an official government rating. It measures how diversified and stable Rhode Island's federal funding mix is across award types, agencies, and fiscal years, not whether that funding is well or poorly spent. Full formula and benchmark table: methodology.

Award-Type Mix A+
76%
Diversification across contract/grant/loan/direct-payment/other award counts
Agency Mix D
72%
Diversification of obligated dollars across federal agencies operating in-state
Per-Capita Norm A-
12% from avg
Distance of per-resident federal spending from the national average
Funding Stability B+
6.6% CV
Year-over-year spending volatility across 6 fiscal years

Top Federal Agencies in Rhode Island

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Rhode Island during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $5.9B 39.1%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $4.8B 31.8%
3 Department of Transportation $1.1B 7.1%
4 Department of Defense $822.6M 5.4%
5 Department of Veterans Affairs $548.9M 3.6%
6 Department of Housing and Urban Development $505.5M 3.3%
7 Department of Agriculture $456.1M 3.0%
8 Department of Education $349.0M 2.3%
9 Environmental Protection Agency $135.1M 0.9%
10 Department of Energy $92.8M 0.6%

Top Recipients in Rhode Island

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Rhode Island.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 State of Rhode Island Department of Administration $2.7B
2 Rhode Island Dot $871.5M
3 Rhode Island Department of Human Services $462.6M
4 RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education $227.4M
5 Brown University $210.5M
6 Seacorp, LLC $117.6M
7 University of Rhode Island $105.2M
8 Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority $84.1M
9 Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank $81.9M
10 Human Services RI Department $78.8M
11 State of Rhode Island Department of Health $76.4M
12 Providence Housing Authority $71.2M
13 State of Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources $70.6M
14 Rite-Solutions, INC. $65.9M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$651.5M (+4.5%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Rhode Island increased 0.2% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$13B$14B$15B$16B$17B$18B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $15B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $15.1B $13,799 1,097,379
FY2024 $14.5B $13,205 1,097,379
FY2023 $14.0B $12,730 1,097,379
FY2022 $13.8B $12,544 1,097,379
FY2021 $16.8B $15,266 1,097,379
FY2020 $15.1B $13,772 1,097,379

Counties in Rhode Island

5 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Providence County $6.3B $9,494 660,741
2 Kent County $1.7B $10,188 170,363
3 Newport County $1.4B $16,597 85,643
4 Washington County $1.3B $10,139 129,839
5 Bristol County $396.6M $7,807 50,793
DOGE impact for Rhode Island → Per-capita rankings → Understanding federal spending →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Rhode Island's $13,799.

Vermont

$13,783 per capita

$8.9B total

Oregon

$13,499 per capita

$57.2B total

Nebraska

$14,140 per capita

$27.7B total

Montana

$14,143 per capita

$15.3B total

Alabama

$14,242 per capita

$71.6B total

Compare Rhode Island to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($15.1B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Rhode Island receive in FY2025?

Rhode Island received a thin absolute book of $15.1B in FY2025 ($13,799 per capita; population 1,097,379).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Rhode Island?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 5,638 awards (34.9% of tracked awards). The second-largest is grants at 3,719 awards.

How has federal spending in Rhode Island changed over time?

Federal spending in Rhode Island increased by 0.2% from FY2020 ($15.1B) to FY2025 ($15.1B).

How does Rhode Island's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?

Rhode Island's per capita federal spending of $13,799 is 11.7% below the national average of $15,622. Rhode Island ranks #26 out of 56 states by per capita spending.

Where does Rhode Island rank nationally in federal spending?

Rhode Island ranks #48 out of 56 states in total federal spending and #26 in per capita spending. The state received $15.1B total ($13,799 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Rhode Island?

The top federal agency spending in Rhode Island is Social Security Administration with $5.9B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($4.8B) and Department of Transportation ($1.1B).

How many counties in Rhode Island receive federal spending?

5 counties in Rhode Island receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Providence County with $6.3B.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.

Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →