PlainSpending

Washington Federal Spending

$11,619 per resident in FY2025 - low intensity (rank #46).

$89.5B total · $11,619 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #25 total, #46 per capita · 25.7% below national avg

In FY2025, Washington received $89.5B in federal spending - $11,619 per capita, ranking #46 among 57 states and 25.7% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 59.3% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Washington · FY2025

Washington received $89.5B in federal spending in FY2025 - $11,619 per resident, 25.7% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$89.5B
#25 of 57 states
Per resident
$11,619
#46 per capita
Latest annual change
+$4.3B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+5.1%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$37.5B

Low per-resident intensity

Washington ranks #45 of 56 by per-capita spending ($11,619) - a light intensity band.

According to USASpending.gov, Washington received $89.5B in FY2025 ($11,619 per resident; population 7,705,281). Total rank #25 and per-capita rank #46 (25.7% below the $15,647 national average) show volume vs intensity.

Low per-resident intensity still shows a full award-count mix: 99,739 contracts, 11,809 grants, 6,828 loans, and 46,741 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 59.3% of tracked awards in the state, with direct payments a distant second at 46,741 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Washington, with $37.5B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $17.7B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Washington has grown 2.8% from $87.1B in FY2020 to $89.5B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 39 counties and top recipient Department of Social && Health Services at $15.8B, 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) Washington 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 low-intensity state sits

Total Spending

$89.5B

Rank #25

Per Capita

$11,619

Rank #46

Population

7,705,281

Contract Awards

99,739

Grant Awards

11,809

Total Federal Spending

$89.5B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$11,619

Rank #46

Counties Receiving

39

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$37.5B

Social Security Administration

Washington award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards59.3%27.8%ContractsDirect PaymentsGrantsLoansOther
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.
Washington per-capita federal spending vs. national average 61.9%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 59.3% of tracked awards in Washington (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 99,739 awards (59.3%)
Direct Payments 46,741 awards (27.8%)
Grants 11,809 awards (7.0%)
Loans 6,828 awards (4.1%)
Other 2,996 awards (1.8%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Washington National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $11,619 $15,647 -25.7%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Washington

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Washington during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $37.5B 41.9%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $17.7B 19.8%
3 Department of Defense $9.1B 10.1%
4 Department of Veterans Affairs $5.6B 6.2%
5 Department of Energy $5.2B 5.9%
6 Department of Agriculture $4.1B 4.6%
7 Department of Transportation $2.8B 3.1%
8 Department of Housing and Urban Development $1.8B 2.0%
9 Department of Education $1.6B 1.8%
10 National Aeronautics and Space Administration $806.8M 0.9%

Top Recipients in Washington

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Washington.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Department of Social && Health Services $15.8B
2 The Boeing Company $4.4B
3 Battelle Memorial Institute $1.7B
4 Washington St Department of Transportation $1.3B
5 Superintendent of Public Instruction $1.1B
6 Bechtel National, INC. $1.1B
7 University of Washington $889.1M
8 Hanford Tank Waste Operations && Closure, LLC $796.0M
9 Blue Origin Washington, LLC $767.1M
10 Central Plateau Cleanup Company, LLC $558.4M
11 Department of Children, Youth, and Families $475.2M
12 Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority $420.2M
13 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center $387.6M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$4.3B (+5.1%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Washington increased 2.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$75B$80B$85B$90B$95B$100B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $90B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $89.5B $11,619 7,705,281
FY2024 $85.2B $11,058 7,705,281
FY2023 $85.2B $11,061 7,705,281
FY2022 $79.4B $10,299 7,705,281
FY2021 $99.4B $12,896 7,705,281
FY2020 $87.1B $11,308 7,705,281

Counties in Washington

39 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 King County $20.7B $9,117 2,269,675
2 Pierce County $7.0B $7,598 921,130
3 Benton County $5.7B $27,737 206,873
4 Snohomish County $4.9B $5,959 827,957
5 Spokane County $4.3B $7,955 539,339
6 Kitsap County $3.8B $13,725 275,611
7 Thurston County $3.5B $12,033 294,793
8 Clark County $3.3B $6,557 503,311
9 Yakima County $1.6B $6,350 256,728
10 Whatcom County $1.6B $7,105 226,847
11 Skagit County $1.3B $9,714 129,523
12 Island County $1.0B $11,572 86,857
13 Clallam County $975.0M $12,637 77,155
14 Cowlitz County $948.2M $8,563 110,730
15 Grays Harbor County $749.8M $9,913 75,636
16 Chelan County $737.3M $9,324 79,074
17 Grant County $721.7M $7,281 99,123
18 Lewis County $700.5M $8,528 82,149
19 Mason County $588.9M $8,960 65,726
20 Walla Walla County $545.3M $8,713 62,584
21 Stevens County $462.1M $9,950 46,445
22 Whitman County $444.3M $9,262 47,973
23 Okanogan County $427.9M $10,163 42,104
24 Franklin County $421.9M $4,360 96,749
25 Jefferson County $418.7M $12,695 32,977
26 Kittitas County $366.2M $8,259 44,337
27 Douglas County $314.9M $7,334 42,938
28 Klickitat County $289.1M $12,716 22,735
29 Pacific County $269.2M $11,521 23,365
30 Asotin County $204.0M $9,153 22,285
31 San Juan County $192.4M $10,815 17,788
32 Adams County $146.5M $7,105 20,613
33 Pend Oreille County $143.9M $10,737 13,401
34 Lincoln County $140.1M $12,880 10,876
35 Skamania County $96.2M $7,993 12,036
36 Ferry County $74.8M $10,424 7,178
37 Columbia County $73.4M $18,572 3,952
38 Wahkiakum County $45.3M $10,255 4,422
39 Garfield County $33.4M $14,620 2,286
DOGE impact for Washington → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Washington's $11,619.

Arkansas

$11,603 per capita

$34.9B total

Puerto Rico

$11,693 per capita

$38.4B total

American Samoa

$11,788 per capita

$586.0M total

Iowa

$11,432 per capita

$36.5B total

Wyoming

$12,119 per capita

$7.0B total

Compare Washington to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($89.5B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Washington rank nationally in federal spending?

Washington ranks #46 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($11,619 - a light band) and #25 on absolute volume ($89.5B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Washington?

The top federal agency spending in Washington is Social Security Administration with $37.5B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($17.7B) and Department of Defense ($9.1B).

How much federal spending did Washington receive in FY2025?

Washington received $89.5B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $11,619 per capita for the state's population of 7,705,281.

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

Washington's $11,619 runs 25.7% below the $15,647 national average (rank #46 of 57).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Washington?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 99,739 awards (59.3% of tracked awards). The second-largest is direct payments at 46,741 awards.

How many counties in Washington receive federal spending?

39 counties in Washington receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is King County with $20.7B.

How has federal spending in Washington changed over time?

Federal spending in Washington increased by 2.8% from FY2020 ($87.1B) to FY2025 ($89.5B).

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

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