PlainSpending

South Dakota Federal Spending

$11.5B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #50 of 56).

$11.5B total · $12,944 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #50 total, #32 per capita · 17.1% below national avg

In FY2025, South Dakota received $11.5B in federal spending - $12,944 per capita, ranking #32 among 56 states and 17.1% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 86.2% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

South Dakota · FY2025

South Dakota received $11.5B in federal spending in FY2025 - $12,944 per resident, 17.1% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$11.5B
#50 of 56 states
Per resident
$12,944
#32 per capita
Latest annual change
+$499.4M
FY2024 to FY2025 (+4.5%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$4.6B

Thin absolute federal book

South Dakota is a light absolute book: #50 of 56 with $11.5B.

According to USASpending.gov, South Dakota carried a thin absolute federal book of $11.5B in FY2025 ($12,944 per resident; population 886,667). Total-dollar rank #50 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #32 sits 17.1% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 4,432 contracts, 3,822 grants, 3,997 loans, and 97,102 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 86.2% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 4,432 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in South Dakota, with $4.6B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $2.0B.

Over the available history, federal spending in South Dakota has contracted 12.6% from $13.1B in FY2020 to $11.5B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 66 counties and top recipient Social Services South Dakota Department at $1.6B, the trail shows whether the light intensity is closing the gap.

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) South Dakota 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

$11.5B

Rank #50

Per Capita

$12,944

Rank #32

Population

886,667

Contract Awards

4,432

Grant Awards

3,822

Total Federal Spending

$11.5B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$12,944

Rank #32

Counties Receiving

66

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$4.6B

Social Security Administration

South Dakota award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards86.2%Direct PaymentsContractsLoansGrantsOther
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.
South Dakota per-capita federal spending vs. national average 69.0%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 86.2% of tracked awards in South Dakota (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 97,102 awards (86.2%)
Contracts 4,432 awards (3.9%)
Loans 3,997 awards (3.5%)
Grants 3,822 awards (3.4%)
Other 3,296 awards (2.9%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric South Dakota National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $12,944 $15,622 -17.1%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Fiscal Resilience Score

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

D
Fiscal Resilience Score
43/100
South Dakota

A transparent derived index from USASpending.gov federal award data, not an official government rating. It measures how diversified and stable South Dakota'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 F
25%
Diversification across contract/grant/loan/direct-payment/other award counts
Agency Mix B+
77%
Diversification of obligated dollars across federal agencies operating in-state
Per-Capita Norm B-
17% from avg
Distance of per-resident federal spending from the national average
Funding Stability F
12.1% CV
Year-over-year spending volatility across 6 fiscal years

Top Federal Agencies in South Dakota

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in South Dakota during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $4.6B 40.1%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $2.0B 17.4%
3 Department of Agriculture $1.3B 11.3%
4 Department of Transportation $786.6M 6.9%
5 Department of Veterans Affairs $750.6M 6.5%
6 Department of the Interior $642.2M 5.6%
7 Department of Defense $370.4M 3.2%
8 Department of Education $368.2M 3.2%
9 Department of Housing and Urban Development $138.1M 1.2%
10 Environmental Protection Agency $117.9M 1.0%

Top Recipients in South Dakota

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in South Dakota.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Social Services South Dakota Department $1.6B
2 State of South Dakota $586.9M
3 South Dakota Department of Education $219.9M
4 Rosebud Sioux Tribe $122.2M
5 Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board $111.4M
6 Wounded Knee District School $105.7M
7 South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, The $84.3M
8 Sterling Computers Corporation $82.8M
9 South Dakota Department of Public Safety $67.7M
10 Federal Contracting INC $66.4M
11 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe $57.8M
12 State of South Dakota Department of Transportation $56.6M
13 Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation $51.3M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$499.4M (+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 South Dakota decreased 12.6% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$9B$10B$11B$12B$13B$14B$15B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $11B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $11.5B $12,944 886,667
FY2024 $11.0B $12,381 886,667
FY2023 $9.9B $11,117 886,667
FY2022 $10.9B $12,293 886,667
FY2021 $14.0B $15,818 886,667
FY2020 $13.1B $14,814 886,667

Counties in South Dakota

66 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Minnehaha County $1.6B $8,232 197,214
2 Pennington County $1.2B $11,308 109,222
3 Lincoln County $418.0M $6,414 65,161
4 Hughes County $397.9M $22,396 17,765
5 Oglala Lakota County $374.6M $27,398 13,672
6 Meade County $361.1M $12,098 29,852
7 Brown County $291.2M $7,602 38,301
8 Lawrence County $287.8M $11,168 25,768
9 Union County $238.0M $14,158 16,811
10 Brookings County $233.9M $6,805 34,375
11 Codington County $207.5M $7,324 28,325
12 Todd County $204.0M $21,895 9,319
13 Yankton County $186.6M $8,007 23,310
14 Beadle County $144.7M $7,558 19,149
15 Roberts County $144.3M $14,037 10,280
16 Fall River County $138.2M $19,814 6,973
17 Davison County $136.1M $6,820 19,956
18 Charles Mix County $120.3M $12,833 9,373
19 Clay County $107.6M $7,186 14,967
20 Lake County $104.6M $9,460 11,059
21 Custer County $103.8M $12,485 8,318
22 Dewey County $97.8M $18,671 5,239
23 Moody County $97.4M $15,373 6,336
24 Butte County $90.7M $8,854 10,243
25 Spink County $87.3M $13,731 6,361
26 Day County $82.3M $15,109 5,449
27 Turner County $73.4M $8,464 8,673
28 Grant County $72.3M $9,563 7,556
29 Lyman County $71.7M $19,285 3,718
30 Hutchinson County $69.9M $9,418 7,427
31 Kingsbury County $60.5M $11,663 5,187
32 Deuel County $59.3M $13,796 4,295
33 Corson County $57.1M $14,634 3,902
34 Mccook County $56.7M $9,978 5,682
35 Hanson County $54.5M $15,736 3,461
36 Hamlin County $54.4M $8,824 6,164
37 Bon Homme County $51.2M $7,308 7,003
38 Marshall County $48.8M $11,330 4,306
39 Stanley County $48.4M $16,248 2,980
40 Walworth County $48.2M $9,060 5,315
41 Aurora County $47.8M $17,403 2,747
42 Tripp County $47.6M $8,466 5,624
43 Clark County $45.7M $11,915 3,837
44 Sully County $42.2M $29,199 1,446
45 Jackson County $40.8M $14,536 2,806
46 Mellette County $40.5M $21,134 1,918
47 Hand County $40.2M $12,782 3,145
48 Miner County $39.3M $17,113 2,298
49 Faulk County $39.0M $18,368 2,125
50 Brule County $38.6M $7,365 5,247
51 Gregory County $37.6M $9,404 3,994
52 Edmunds County $37.1M $9,303 3,986
53 Douglas County $34.5M $12,168 2,835
54 Bennett County $32.5M $9,623 3,381
55 Sanborn County $31.8M $13,661 2,330
56 Haakon County $31.1M $16,615 1,872
57 Harding County $30.6M $23,360 1,311
58 Hyde County $29.3M $23,232 1,262
59 Mcpherson County $29.2M $12,117 2,411
60 Buffalo County $27.1M $13,892 1,948
61 Perkins County $27.0M $9,521 2,835
62 Potter County $25.4M $10,272 2,472
63 Ziebach County $25.1M $10,407 2,413
64 Jerauld County $21.9M $13,164 1,663
65 Campbell County $16.8M $12,198 1,377
66 Jones County $9.6M $10,499 917
DOGE impact for South Dakota → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to South Dakota's $12,944.

New York

$12,978 per capita

$262.2B total

Mississippi

$13,008 per capita

$38.5B total

Louisiana

$12,840 per capita

$59.8B total

Oklahoma

$12,682 per capita

$50.2B total

West Virginia

$13,273 per capita

$23.8B total

Compare South Dakota to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($11.5B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did South Dakota receive in FY2025?

South Dakota received a thin absolute book of $11.5B in FY2025 ($12,944 per capita; population 886,667).

What is the largest category of federal spending in South Dakota?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 97,102 awards (86.2% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 4,432 awards.

How has federal spending in South Dakota changed over time?

Federal spending in South Dakota decreased by 12.6% from FY2020 ($13.1B) to FY2025 ($11.5B).

How does South Dakota's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?

South Dakota's $12,944 runs 17.1% below the $15,622 national average (rank #32 of 56).

Where does South Dakota rank nationally in federal spending?

South Dakota ranks #50 out of 56 states in total federal spending and #32 in per capita spending. The state received $11.5B total ($12,944 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in South Dakota?

The top federal agency spending in South Dakota is Social Security Administration with $4.6B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($2.0B) and Department of Agriculture ($1.3B).

How many counties in South Dakota receive federal spending?

66 counties in South Dakota receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Minnehaha County with $1.6B.

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

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