PlainSpending

Vermont Federal Spending

$8.9B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #53 of 57).

$8.9B total · $13,783 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #53 total, #28 per capita · 11.9% below national avg

In FY2025, Vermont received $8.9B in federal spending - $13,783 per capita, ranking #28 among 57 states and 11.9% 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, 11.9% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$8.9B
#53 of 57 states
Per resident
$13,783
#28 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 #53 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #28 sits 11.9% 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 #53

Per Capita

$13,783

Rank #28

Population

643,077

Contract Awards

5,586

Grant Awards

3,889

Total Federal Spending

$8.9B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$13,783

Rank #28

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 73.4%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,647 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 $15,647 -11.9%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

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 11.9% below the national average of $15,647. Vermont ranks #28 out of 57 states by per capita spending.

Where does Vermont rank nationally in federal spending?

Vermont ranks #53 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #28 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 →