PlainSpending

Virginia Federal Spending

$214.1B in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book (rank #7 of 57).

$214.1B total · $24,807 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #7 total, #11 per capita · 58.5% above national avg

In FY2025, Virginia received $214.1B in federal spending - $24,807 per capita, ranking #11 among 57 states and 58.5% above the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 85.7% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Defense.

Virginia · FY2025

Virginia received $214.1B in federal spending in FY2025 - $24,807 per resident, 58.5% above the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$214.1B
#7 of 57 states
Per resident
$24,807
#11 per capita
Latest annual change
+$25.0B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+13.2%)
Top agency
Dept. of Defense
$53.4B

Heavy absolute federal book

Virginia sits #7 of 56 states by total federal spending ($214.1B).

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $214.1B to Virginia in FY2025 ($24,807 per resident across 8,631,393 people). Total-dollar rank #7 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #11 (58.5% above the $15,647 national average).

High per-resident intensity shapes the award-count mix: 501,390 contracts, 10,721 grants, 15,013 loans, and 52,460 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 85.7% of tracked awards in the state, with direct payments a distant second at 52,460 awards. Department of Defense is the single largest federal agency operating in Virginia, with $53.4B in obligations - more than Department of Veterans Affairs's $43.9B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Virginia has grown 43.2% from $149.5B in FY2020 to $214.1B in FY2025 - against an already above-average intensity band. Combined with 133 counties and top recipient Optum Public Sector Solutions, INC. at $21.2B, the trail shows whether the heavy intensity is still rising.

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) Virginia 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 large absolute book sits

Total Spending

$214.1B

Rank #7

Per Capita

$24,807

Rank #11

Population

8,631,393

Contract Awards

501,390

Grant Awards

10,721

Total Federal Spending

$214.1B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$24,807

Rank #11

Counties Receiving

133

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$53.4B

Department of Defense

Virginia award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards85.7%9%ContractsDirect PaymentsLoansGrantsOther
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.
Virginia per-capita federal spending vs. national average 83.3%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 85.7% of tracked awards in Virginia (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 501,390 awards (85.7%)
Direct Payments 52,460 awards (9.0%)
Loans 15,013 awards (2.6%)
Grants 10,721 awards (1.8%)
Other 5,776 awards (1.0%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Virginia National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $24,807 $15,647 +58.5%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Virginia

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Virginia during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Defense $53.4B 24.9%
2 Department of Veterans Affairs $43.9B 20.5%
3 Social Security Administration $41.8B 19.5%
4 Department of Health and Human Services $34.3B 16.0%
5 Department of Homeland Security $7.0B 3.3%
6 General Services Administration $6.0B 2.8%
7 Department of Agriculture $4.1B 1.9%
8 Department of Transportation $3.7B 1.7%
9 Department of Education $3.1B 1.4%
10 Department of Justice $3.0B 1.4%

Top Recipients in Virginia

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Virginia.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Optum Public Sector Solutions, INC. $21.2B
2 VA Department of Medical Assistance Service $17.2B
3 Triwest Healthcare Alliance CORP $9.5B
4 Atlantic Diving Supply, INC. $5.8B
5 Huntington Ingalls INC $4.1B
6 Lockheed Martin Corporation $3.5B
7 Booz Allen Hamilton INC $2.9B
8 Social Services, Virginia Department Of $2.4B
9 Accenture Federal Services LLC $2.1B
10 General Dynamics Information Technology, INC. $2.1B
11 Caci, INC. -- Federal $2.0B
12 Leidos, INC. $1.9B
13 Science Applications International Corporation $1.9B
14 Commonwealth of Virginia State Board of Education $1.8B

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$25.0B (+13.2%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Virginia increased 43.2% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$140B$160B$180B$200B$220B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $214B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $214.1B $24,807 8,631,393
FY2024 $189.1B $21,906 8,631,393
FY2023 $183.8B $21,299 8,631,393
FY2022 $162.5B $18,824 8,631,393
FY2021 $165.7B $19,194 8,631,393
FY2020 $149.5B $17,319 8,631,393

Counties in Virginia

133 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Fairfax County $47.8B $41,553 1,150,309
2 Spotsylvania County $31.9B $227,738 140,032
3 Arlington County $22.8B $95,369 238,643
4 Virginia Beach City $11.7B $25,372 459,470
5 Newport News City $6.3B $33,747 186,247
6 Prince William County $5.5B $11,352 482,204
7 Loudoun County $5.3B $12,636 420,959
8 Norfolk City $5.1B $21,250 238,005
9 Alexandria City $3.9B $24,766 159,467
10 Richmond City $2.8B $12,465 226,610
11 Henrico County $2.7B $8,031 334,389
12 Chesterfield County $2.6B $7,050 364,548
13 Chesapeake City $2.5B $10,154 249,422
14 Hampton City $2.1B $15,549 137,148
15 Stafford County $1.8B $11,248 156,927
16 Portsmouth City $1.6B $15,866 97,915
17 Suffolk City $1.2B $12,761 94,324
18 Fairfax City $1.2B $48,114 24,146
19 Roanoke City $942.6M $9,425 100,011
20 Roanoke County $893.2M $9,215 96,929
21 Albemarle County $887.5M $7,897 112,395
22 James City County $884.8M $11,307 78,254
23 Hanover County $875.2M $7,958 109,979
24 King George County $855.8M $32,026 26,723
25 Frederick County $775.7M $8,485 91,419
26 Lynchburg City $755.7M $9,564 79,009
27 Montgomery County $723.1M $7,251 99,721
28 Bedford County $665.6M $8,377 79,462
29 Charlottesville City $661.0M $14,199 46,553
30 York County $660.6M $9,431 70,045
31 Accomack County $617.2M $18,471 33,413
32 Augusta County $581.0M $7,498 77,487
33 Rockingham County $579.1M $6,914 83,757
34 Fauquier County $577.5M $7,914 72,972
35 Prince George County $557.9M $12,971 43,010
36 Washington County $486.8M $9,026 53,935
37 Pittsylvania County $478.4M $7,907 60,501
38 Danville City $470.5M $11,047 42,590
39 Franklin County $448.0M $8,223 54,477
40 Wise County $430.2M $11,907 36,130
41 Manassas City $400.0M $9,353 42,772
42 Henry County $397.8M $7,809 50,948
43 Tazewell County $381.9M $9,447 40,429
44 Campbell County $378.2M $6,791 55,696
45 Petersburg City $364.0M $10,879 33,458
46 Botetourt County $359.3M $10,696 33,596
47 Culpeper County $359.0M $6,832 52,552
48 Isle of Wight County $348.8M $9,035 38,606
49 Gloucester County $345.6M $8,927 38,711
50 Shenandoah County $327.7M $7,416 44,186
51 Orange County $326.5M $9,005 36,254
52 Staunton City $305.9M $11,881 25,750
53 Louisa County $299.2M $7,957 37,596
54 Warren County $288.5M $7,083 40,727
55 Goochland County $276.2M $11,172 24,727
56 Halifax County $275.2M $8,088 34,022
57 Mecklenburg County $271.2M $8,946 30,319
58 Pulaski County $269.3M $7,967 33,800
59 Smyth County $263.7M $8,849 29,800
60 Amherst County $256.2M $8,183 31,307
61 Page County $255.0M $10,755 23,709
62 Buchanan County $252.4M $12,399 20,355
63 Harrisonburg City $247.4M $4,775 51,814
64 Caroline County $246.9M $7,994 30,887
65 Wythe County $243.6M $8,610 28,290
66 Fredericksburg City $243.0M $8,684 27,982
67 Nottoway County $242.1M $15,475 15,642
68 Salem City $238.0M $9,392 25,346
69 Radford City $238.0M $14,812 16,070
70 Carroll County $234.9M $8,056 29,155
71 Russell County $229.9M $8,919 25,781
72 New Kent County $229.5M $10,002 22,945
73 Powhatan County $219.8M $7,246 30,333
74 Fluvanna County $205.2M $7,530 27,249
75 Dinwiddie County $202.7M $7,252 27,947
76 Lee County $193.0M $8,706 22,173
77 Westmoreland County $187.4M $10,141 18,477
78 Hopewell City $181.7M $7,888 23,033
79 Scott County $179.0M $8,295 21,576
80 Winchester City $176.4M $6,275 28,120
81 Prince Edward County $164.1M $7,508 21,849
82 Williamsburg City $163.5M $10,602 15,425
83 Colonial Heights City $163.0M $8,973 18,170
84 Clarke County $158.4M $10,718 14,783
85 Southampton County $156.7M $8,706 17,996
86 Patrick County $155.0M $8,802 17,608
87 Waynesboro City $151.7M $6,833 22,196
88 Nelson County $150.5M $10,184 14,775
89 Rockbridge County $149.2M $6,588 22,650
90 Northampton County $148.9M $12,126 12,282
91 King William County $145.7M $8,181 17,810
92 Alleghany County $140.2M $9,207 15,223
93 Greene County $136.7M $6,650 20,552
94 Northumberland County $136.3M $11,513 11,839
95 Dickenson County $133.6M $9,460 14,124
96 Bristol City $132.7M $7,705 17,219
97 Giles County $132.6M $7,897 16,787
98 Lancaster County $132.4M $12,122 10,919
99 Grayson County $129.6M $8,454 15,333
100 Brunswick County $127.5M $8,046 15,849
101 Floyd County $120.1M $7,759 15,476
102 Martinsville City $119.5M $8,864 13,485
103 Appomattox County $118.0M $7,323 16,119
104 Middlesex County $116.5M $10,965 10,625
105 Falls Church City $114.8M $7,833 14,658
106 Charlotte County $114.4M $9,923 11,529
107 Buckingham County $112.3M $6,676 16,824
108 Madison County $105.2M $7,599 13,837
109 Amelia County $103.5M $7,803 13,265
110 Poquoson City $98.9M $7,935 12,460
111 Mathews County $94.4M $11,059 8,533
112 Essex County $91.5M $8,633 10,599
113 Lunenburg County $84.6M $7,090 11,936
114 Franklin City $82.2M $10,048 8,180
115 Greensville County $78.6M $6,897 11,391
116 Sussex County $76.1M $7,023 10,829
117 Richmond County $73.1M $8,193 8,923
118 King and Queen County $71.5M $10,818 6,608
119 Cumberland County $67.4M $6,962 9,675
120 Surry County $65.7M $10,016 6,561
121 Charles City County $65.4M $9,656 6,773
122 Lexington City $64.9M $8,868 7,320
123 Rappahannock County $62.5M $8,510 7,348
124 Galax City $56.0M $8,331 6,720
125 Bland County $55.9M $8,912 6,270
126 Covington City $52.9M $9,215 5,737
127 Emporia City $45.6M $7,903 5,766
128 Craig County $43.7M $8,943 4,892
129 Buena Vista City $42.1M $6,332 6,641
130 Manassas Park City $39.1M $2,268 17,219
131 Norton City $35.5M $9,615 3,687
132 Bath County $35.2M $8,360 4,209
133 Highland County $27.7M $12,411 2,232
DOGE impact for Virginia → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Virginia's $24,807.

Alaska

$25,101 per capita

$18.4B total

South Carolina

$26,788 per capita

$137.1B total

Pennsylvania

$21,653 per capita

$281.6B total

New Mexico

$19,577 per capita

$41.5B total

New Mexico

$19,577 per capita

$41.5B total

Compare Virginia to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($214.1B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Virginia receive in FY2025?

Virginia received a heavy absolute book of $214.1B in FY2025 ($24,807 per capita; population 8,631,393).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Virginia?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 501,390 awards (85.7% of tracked awards). The second-largest is direct payments at 52,460 awards.

How has federal spending in Virginia changed over time?

Federal spending in Virginia increased by 43.2% from FY2020 ($149.5B) to FY2025 ($214.1B).

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

Virginia's $24,807 runs 58.5% above the $15,647 national average (rank #11 of 57).

Where does Virginia rank nationally in federal spending?

Virginia ranks #11 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($24,807) and #7 on absolute volume ($214.1B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Virginia?

The top federal agency spending in Virginia is Department of Defense with $53.4B. Followed by Department of Veterans Affairs ($43.9B) and Social Security Administration ($41.8B).

How many counties in Virginia receive federal spending?

133 counties in Virginia receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Fairfax County with $47.8B.

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

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