PlainSpending

Tennessee Federal Spending

$17,561 per resident in FY2025 - high intensity (rank #16).

$121.4B total · $17,561 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #16 total, #16 per capita · 12.2% above national avg

In FY2025, Tennessee received $121.4B in federal spending - $17,561 per capita, ranking #16 among 57 states and 12.2% above the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 57.0% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.

Tennessee · FY2025

Tennessee received $121.4B in federal spending in FY2025 - $17,561 per resident, 12.2% above the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$121.4B
#16 of 57 states
Per resident
$17,561
#16 per capita
Latest annual change
+$14.4B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+13.4%)
Top agency
Dept. of Health and Human Services
$57.8B

High per-resident intensity

Tennessee ranks #15 of 56 by per-capita federal spending ($17,561).

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $121.4B to Tennessee in FY2025 ($17,561 per resident across 6,910,840 people). Total-dollar rank #16 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #16 (12.2% above the $15,647 national average).

High per-resident intensity shapes the award-count mix: 29,683 contracts, 9,612 grants, 15,128 loans, and 81,590 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 57.0% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 29,683 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in Tennessee, with $57.8B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $36.6B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Tennessee has grown 10.6% from $109.7B in FY2020 to $121.4B in FY2025. Combined with 95 counties receiving dollars and top recipient Finance && Administration Tennessee Depar at $11.9B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Tennessee'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) Tennessee 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 high-intensity state sits

Total Spending

$121.4B

Rank #16

Per Capita

$17,561

Rank #16

Population

6,910,840

Contract Awards

29,683

Grant Awards

9,612

Total Federal Spending

$121.4B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$17,561

Rank #16

Counties Receiving

95

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$57.8B

Department of Health and Human

Tennessee award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards57%20.7%10.6%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.
Tennessee per-capita federal spending vs. national average 83.3%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 57.0% of tracked awards in Tennessee (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 81,590 awards (57.0%)
Contracts 29,683 awards (20.7%)
Loans 15,128 awards (10.6%)
Grants 9,612 awards (6.7%)
Other 7,170 awards (5.0%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Tennessee National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $17,561 $15,647 +12.2%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Tennessee

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Tennessee during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Health and Human Services $57.8B 47.6%
2 Social Security Administration $36.6B 30.1%
3 Department of Energy $6.9B 5.7%
4 Department of Veterans Affairs $6.2B 5.1%
5 Department of Agriculture $3.4B 2.8%
6 Department of Defense $2.7B 2.3%
7 Department of Education $2.1B 1.7%
8 Department of Transportation $2.1B 1.7%
9 Department of Housing and Urban Development $1.2B 1.0%
10 Department of Homeland Security $709.7M 0.6%

Top Recipients in Tennessee

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Tennessee.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Finance && Administration Tennessee Depar $11.9B
2 Ut-Battelle LLC $2.7B
3 Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC $2.5B
4 Tennessee Department of Human Services $2.5B
5 Tennessee Department of Transportation $1.6B
6 Department of Education Tennessee $1.4B
7 United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC $630.3M
8 Department of Environment && Conservation Tennessee $542.8M
9 Vanderbilt University Medical Center $533.6M
10 Beyond New Horizons, LLC $496.1M
11 Tennessee Emergency Management Agency $425.7M
12 Federal Express Corporation $346.1M
13 Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Incorporated $268.7M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$14.4B (+13.4%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Tennessee increased 10.6% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$90B$100B$110B$120B$130B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $121B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $121.4B $17,561 6,910,840
FY2024 $107.0B $15,483 6,910,840
FY2023 $102.9B $14,893 6,910,840
FY2022 $96.3B $13,931 6,910,840
FY2021 $113.4B $16,405 6,910,840
FY2020 $109.7B $15,874 6,910,840

Counties in Tennessee

95 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Davidson County $46.3B $64,625 715,884
2 Anderson County $7.0B $90,788 77,123
3 Shelby County $6.4B $6,904 929,744
4 Hamilton County $6.4B $17,351 366,207
5 Knox County $3.8B $7,920 478,971
6 Montgomery County $2.0B $9,191 220,069
7 Sullivan County $1.8B $11,509 158,163
8 Rutherford County $1.8B $5,288 341,486
9 Williamson County $1.7B $7,002 247,726
10 Sumner County $1.3B $6,874 196,281
11 Washington County $1.3B $9,399 133,001
12 Blount County $1.1B $7,850 135,280
13 Coffee County $1.0B $17,322 57,889
14 Wilson County $977.7M $6,618 147,737
15 Bradley County $771.3M $7,101 108,620
16 Maury County $758.8M $7,515 100,974
17 Madison County $707.8M $7,162 98,823
18 Sevier County $697.2M $7,086 98,380
19 Cumberland County $695.3M $11,372 61,145
20 Greene County $657.0M $9,366 70,152
21 Putnam County $614.2M $7,692 79,854
22 Loudon County $581.8M $10,601 54,886
23 Hawkins County $525.3M $9,261 56,721
24 Roane County $492.5M $9,222 53,404
25 Mcminn County $489.5M $9,187 53,276
26 Robertson County $480.7M $6,602 72,803
27 Carter County $462.9M $8,214 56,356
28 Hamblen County $456.9M $7,083 64,499
29 Cocke County $456.0M $12,666 35,999
30 Jefferson County $449.8M $8,226 54,683
31 Tipton County $448.3M $7,353 60,970
32 Gibson County $414.1M $8,211 50,429
33 Fayette County $412.4M $9,821 41,990
34 Monroe County $383.9M $8,300 46,250
35 Dickson County $375.1M $6,907 54,315
36 Franklin County $333.7M $7,801 42,774
37 Campbell County $322.1M $8,202 39,272
38 Unicoi County $308.2M $17,194 17,928
39 Bedford County $299.8M $5,967 50,237
40 Lincoln County $293.5M $8,311 35,319
41 Lawrence County $288.6M $6,534 44,159
42 Warren County $282.0M $6,885 40,953
43 Cheatham County $281.8M $6,862 41,072
44 Henry County $274.6M $8,527 32,199
45 Dyer County $268.5M $7,295 36,801
46 Claiborne County $259.1M $8,087 32,043
47 Marion County $257.7M $8,936 28,837
48 Weakley County $248.4M $7,549 32,902
49 Rhea County $239.7M $7,294 32,870
50 Giles County $239.5M $7,893 30,346
51 Carroll County $237.3M $8,343 28,440
52 Obion County $228.3M $7,417 30,787
53 Hardin County $223.6M $8,333 26,831
54 Hickman County $222.1M $8,911 24,925
55 Benton County $214.9M $13,544 15,864
56 White County $212.3M $7,761 27,351
57 Marshall County $210.5M $6,135 34,318
58 Smith County $204.2M $10,261 19,904
59 Mcnairy County $197.1M $7,620 25,866
60 Grainger County $189.6M $8,057 23,527
61 Henderson County $184.6M $6,630 27,842
62 Hardeman County $178.9M $7,026 25,462
63 Johnson County $177.8M $9,909 17,948
64 Overton County $166.3M $7,386 22,511
65 Fentress County $164.5M $8,896 18,489
66 Dekalb County $152.0M $7,570 20,080
67 Lauderdale County $151.6M $6,030 25,143
68 Polk County $150.7M $8,588 17,544
69 Scott County $150.3M $6,877 21,850
70 Macon County $147.9M $5,866 25,216
71 Morgan County $146.9M $6,986 21,035
72 Humphreys County $142.5M $7,505 18,990
73 Sequatchie County $142.0M $8,975 15,826
74 Union County $137.5M $6,941 19,802
75 Stewart County $130.7M $9,567 13,657
76 Haywood County $129.9M $7,273 17,864
77 Cannon County $119.1M $8,208 14,506
78 Wayne County $115.9M $7,138 16,232
79 Chester County $115.2M $6,645 17,341
80 Grundy County $108.8M $8,043 13,529
81 Bledsoe County $103.3M $6,926 14,913
82 Decatur County $103.1M $9,015 11,435
83 Meigs County $102.9M $8,068 12,758
84 Crockett County $98.1M $7,055 13,911
85 Jackson County $91.2M $7,854 11,617
86 Lewis County $90.0M $7,152 12,582
87 Houston County $63.7M $7,694 8,283
88 Clay County $63.0M $8,306 7,581
89 Perry County $57.8M $6,908 8,366
90 Moore County $56.4M $8,726 6,461
91 Trousdale County $55.7M $4,796 11,615
92 Van Buren County $48.7M $7,890 6,168
93 Pickett County $43.7M $8,742 5,001
94 Hancock County $42.5M $6,385 6,662
95 Lake County $39.1M $5,585 7,005
DOGE impact for Tennessee → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Tennessee's $17,561.

Maryland

$17,102 per capita

$105.6B total

Maine

$16,154 per capita

$22.0B total

Wisconsin

$19,169 per capita

$113.0B total

Arizona

$15,678 per capita

$112.1B total

Hawaii

$15,554 per capita

$22.6B total

Compare Tennessee to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($121.4B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Tennessee rank nationally in federal spending?

Tennessee ranks #16 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($17,561) and #16 on absolute volume ($121.4B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Tennessee?

The top federal agency spending in Tennessee is Department of Health and Human Services with $57.8B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($36.6B) and Department of Energy ($6.9B).

How much federal spending did Tennessee receive in FY2025?

Tennessee received a heavy absolute book of $121.4B in FY2025 ($17,561 per capita; population 6,910,840).

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

Tennessee's per capita federal spending of $17,561 is 12.2% above the national average of $15,647. Tennessee ranks #16 out of 57 states by per capita spending.

What is the largest category of federal spending in Tennessee?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 81,590 awards (57.0% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 29,683 awards.

How many counties in Tennessee receive federal spending?

95 counties in Tennessee receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Davidson County with $46.3B.

How has federal spending in Tennessee changed over time?

Federal spending in Tennessee increased by 10.6% from FY2020 ($109.7B) to FY2025 ($121.4B).

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

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