PlainSpending

South Dakota Federal Spending

$11.5B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #51 of 57).

$11.5B total · $12,944 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #51 total, #33 per capita · 17.3% below national avg

In FY2025, South Dakota received $11.5B in federal spending - $12,944 per capita, ranking #33 among 57 states and 17.3% 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, 17.3% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$11.5B
#51 of 57 states
Per resident
$12,944
#33 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 #51 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #33 sits 17.3% 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 #51

Per Capita

$12,944

Rank #33

Population

886,667

Contract Awards

4,432

Grant Awards

3,822

Total Federal Spending

$11.5B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$12,944

Rank #33

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 68.9%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,647 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 $15,647 -17.3%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

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 17.3% below the $15,647 national average (rank #33 of 57).

Where does South Dakota rank nationally in federal spending?

South Dakota ranks #51 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #33 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 →