PlainSpending

Vermont Federal Spending

$8.9B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #52 of 56).

$8.9B total · $13,783 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #52 total, #27 per capita · 11.8% below national avg

In FY2025, Vermont received $8.9B in federal spending - $13,783 per capita, ranking #27 among 56 states and 11.8% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 32.9% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Vermont · FY2025

Vermont received $8.9B in federal spending in FY2025 - $13,783 per resident, 11.8% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$8.9B
#52 of 56 states
Per resident
$13,783
#27 per capita
Latest annual change
+$168.7M
FY2024 to FY2025 (+1.9%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$4.0B

Thin absolute federal book

Vermont is a light absolute book: #52 of 56 with $8.9B.

According to USASpending.gov, Vermont carried a thin absolute federal book of $8.9B in FY2025 ($13,783 per resident; population 643,077). Total-dollar rank #52 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #27 sits 11.8% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 5,586 contracts, 3,889 grants, 643 loans, and 5,354 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 32.9% of tracked awards in the state, with direct payments a distant second at 5,354 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Vermont, with $4.0B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $1.9B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Vermont has contracted 4.5% from $9.3B in FY2020 to $8.9B in FY2025. Combined with 14 counties receiving dollars and top recipient Human Services Vermont Agency Of at $1.9B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Vermont'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) Vermont 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

$8.9B

Rank #52

Per Capita

$13,783

Rank #27

Population

643,077

Contract Awards

5,586

Grant Awards

3,889

Total Federal Spending

$8.9B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$13,783

Rank #27

Counties Receiving

14

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$4.0B

Social Security Administration

Vermont award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards32.9%31.6%22.9%8.8%ContractsDirect PaymentsGrantsOtherLoans
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.
Vermont per-capita federal spending vs. national average 73.5%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 32.9% of tracked awards in Vermont (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 5,586 awards (32.9%)
Direct Payments 5,354 awards (31.6%)
Grants 3,889 awards (22.9%)
Other 1,486 awards (8.8%)
Loans 643 awards (3.8%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Vermont National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $13,783 $15,622 -11.8%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Fiscal Resilience Score

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

B-
Fiscal Resilience Score
66/100
Vermont

A transparent derived index from USASpending.gov federal award data, not an official government rating. It measures how diversified and stable Vermont'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+
73%
Diversification across contract/grant/loan/direct-payment/other award counts
Agency Mix C-
73%
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 F
8.7% CV
Year-over-year spending volatility across 6 fiscal years

Top Federal Agencies in Vermont

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Vermont during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $4.0B 44.6%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $1.9B 21.2%
3 Department of Defense $817.2M 9.2%
4 Department of Transportation $538.8M 6.1%
5 Department of Agriculture $357.3M 4.0%
6 Department of Veterans Affairs $305.4M 3.4%
7 Department of Homeland Security $301.8M 3.4%
8 Department of Education $192.8M 2.2%
9 Department of Housing and Urban Development $162.7M 1.8%
10 Environmental Protection Agency $155.1M 1.8%

Top Recipients in Vermont

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Vermont.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Human Services Vermont Agency Of $1.9B
2 Transportation, Vermont Agency Of $514.5M
3 General Dynamics-Ots, INC. $413.1M
4 Vermont Department of Public Safety $234.6M
5 Vermont State Agency of Education $164.7M
6 University of Vermont && State Agricultural College $122.3M
7 Science Applications International Corporation $112.5M
8 Department of Environmental Conservation Vermont $84.1M
9 Globalfoundries U.s. 2 LLC $81.6M
10 Department of Military Vermont $58.2M
11 Vermont State Housing Authority $54.8M
12 Institute for Sustainable Communities $48.0M
13 State of Vermont Public Service Department $40.6M
14 Burlington Housing Authority $33.7M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$168.7M (+1.9%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Vermont decreased 4.5% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$7.5B$8B$8.5B$9B$9.5B$10B$10.5B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $9B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $8.9B $13,783 643,077
FY2024 $8.7B $13,521 643,077
FY2023 $8.0B $12,453 643,077
FY2022 $7.6B $11,851 643,077
FY2021 $9.9B $15,418 643,077
FY2020 $9.3B $14,440 643,077

Counties in Vermont

14 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Chittenden County $2.0B $11,728 168,323
2 Washington County $973.2M $16,272 59,807
3 Windsor County $559.5M $9,687 57,753
4 Rutland County $519.6M $8,579 60,572
5 Windham County $367.3M $8,002 45,905
6 Franklin County $335.3M $6,713 49,946
7 Bennington County $329.7M $8,829 37,347
8 Addison County $310.3M $8,304 37,363
9 Orange County $294.8M $10,071 29,277
10 Caledonia County $247.0M $8,170 30,233
11 Orleans County $233.6M $8,528 27,393
12 Lamoille County $186.9M $7,205 25,945
13 Grand Isle County $75.5M $10,349 7,293
14 Essex County $60.4M $10,206 5,920
DOGE impact for Vermont → Per-capita rankings → Understanding federal spending →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Vermont's $13,783.

Rhode Island

$13,799 per capita

$15.1B 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 Vermont to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($8.9B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Vermont receive in FY2025?

Vermont received a thin absolute book of $8.9B in FY2025 ($13,783 per capita; population 643,077).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Vermont?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 5,586 awards (32.9% of tracked awards). The second-largest is direct payments at 5,354 awards.

How has federal spending in Vermont changed over time?

Federal spending in Vermont decreased by 4.5% from FY2020 ($9.3B) to FY2025 ($8.9B).

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

Vermont's per capita federal spending of $13,783 is 11.8% below the national average of $15,622. Vermont ranks #27 out of 56 states by per capita spending.

Where does Vermont rank nationally in federal spending?

Vermont ranks #52 out of 56 states in total federal spending and #27 in per capita spending. The state received $8.9B total ($13,783 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Vermont?

The top federal agency spending in Vermont is Social Security Administration with $4.0B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($1.9B) and Department of Defense ($817.2M).

How many counties in Vermont receive federal spending?

14 counties in Vermont receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Chittenden County with $2.0B.

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

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