PlainSpending

West Virginia Federal Spending

$23.8B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #42 of 57).

$23.8B total · $13,273 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #42 total, #30 per capita · 15.2% below national avg

In FY2025, West Virginia received $23.8B in federal spending - $13,273 per capita, ranking #30 among 57 states and 15.2% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 54.1% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

West Virginia · FY2025

West Virginia received $23.8B in federal spending in FY2025 - $13,273 per resident, 15.2% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$23.8B
#42 of 57 states
Per resident
$13,273
#30 per capita
Latest annual change
-$129.1M
FY2024 to FY2025 (-0.5%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$10.8B

Thin absolute federal book

West Virginia is a light absolute book: #41 of 56 with $23.8B.

According to USASpending.gov, West Virginia carried a thin absolute federal book of $23.8B in FY2025 ($13,273 per resident; population 1,793,716). Total-dollar rank #42 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #30 sits 15.2% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 7,019 contracts, 5,952 grants, 2,554 loans, and 22,367 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 54.1% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 7,019 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in West Virginia, with $10.8B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $5.5B.

Over the available history, federal spending in West Virginia has grown 1.7% from $23.4B in FY2020 to $23.8B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 55 counties and top recipient Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Department Of at $4.7B, 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) West 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 thin absolute book sits

Total Spending

$23.8B

Rank #42

Per Capita

$13,273

Rank #30

Population

1,793,716

Contract Awards

7,019

Grant Awards

5,952

Total Federal Spending

$23.8B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$13,273

Rank #30

Counties Receiving

55

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$10.8B

Social Security Administration

West Virginia award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards54.1%17%14.4%8.4%Direct PaymentsContractsGrantsOtherLoans
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.
West Virginia per-capita federal spending vs. national average 70.7%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 54.1% of tracked awards in West Virginia (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 22,367 awards (54.1%)
Contracts 7,019 awards (17.0%)
Grants 5,952 awards (14.4%)
Other 3,481 awards (8.4%)
Loans 2,554 awards (6.2%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric West Virginia National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $13,273 $15,647 -15.2%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in West Virginia

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in West Virginia during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $10.8B 45.5%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $5.5B 23.1%
3 Department of Veterans Affairs $1.7B 7.1%
4 Department of Transportation $930.2M 3.9%
5 Department of Agriculture $909.9M 3.8%
6 Department of Energy $761.5M 3.2%
7 Department of Defense $691.7M 2.9%
8 Department of Education $592.3M 2.5%
9 Department of Homeland Security $316.9M 1.3%
10 Department of Housing and Urban Development $268.2M 1.1%

Top Recipients in West Virginia

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in West Virginia.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Department Of $4.7B
2 West Virginia Dept of Human Services $907.6M
3 Wvdot Division of Highways $795.7M
4 West Virginia Department of Education $428.7M
5 Northrop Grumman Systems CORP $391.2M
6 West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection $316.3M
7 Leidos, INC. $174.6M
8 Form Factory 1, LLC $150.0M
9 Division of Emergency Management $125.4M
10 Maveris LLC $98.0M
11 West Virginia Office of Energy $94.2M
12 American Public University System, INC $78.0M
13 West Virginia University Research Corporation $76.5M
14 West Virginia State Health Department $71.4M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is -$129.1M (-0.5%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in West Virginia increased 1.7% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$21B$22B$23B$24B$25B$26B$27B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $24B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $23.8B $13,273 1,793,716
FY2024 $23.9B $13,345 1,793,716
FY2023 $22.8B $12,720 1,793,716
FY2022 $22.4B $12,466 1,793,716
FY2021 $26.1B $14,532 1,793,716
FY2020 $23.4B $13,052 1,793,716

Counties in West Virginia

55 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Kanawha County $2.1B $11,508 180,745
2 Berkeley County $1.1B $9,041 122,076
3 Monongalia County $1.0B $9,699 105,822
4 Cabell County $716.4M $7,593 94,350
5 Jefferson County $704.2M $12,205 57,701
6 Harrison County $698.8M $10,600 65,921
7 Wood County $685.3M $8,129 84,296
8 Raleigh County $682.8M $9,154 74,591
9 Mineral County $631.1M $23,426 26,938
10 Mercer County $526.1M $8,818 59,664
11 Marion County $510.3M $9,080 56,205
12 Putnam County $426.2M $7,420 57,440
13 Hancock County $391.1M $13,442 29,095
14 Wayne County $368.1M $9,444 38,982
15 Fayette County $355.8M $8,789 40,488
16 Ohio County $350.5M $8,262 42,425
17 Greenbrier County $302.2M $9,163 32,977
18 Jackson County $297.4M $10,700 27,791
19 Logan County $281.4M $8,640 32,567
20 Wyoming County $256.5M $11,996 21,382
21 Preston County $253.4M $7,407 34,216
22 Mingo County $241.6M $10,253 23,568
23 Nicholas County $241.4M $9,811 24,604
24 Randolph County $230.3M $8,245 27,932
25 Marshall County $204.9M $6,698 30,591
26 Mason County $197.4M $7,754 25,453
27 Brooke County $187.0M $8,289 22,559
28 Upshur County $185.2M $7,778 23,816
29 Boone County $184.6M $8,465 21,809
30 Hampshire County $177.5M $7,686 23,093
31 Mcdowell County $167.5M $8,764 19,111
32 Roane County $160.4M $11,436 14,028
33 Lewis County $158.8M $9,325 17,033
34 Morgan County $158.6M $9,297 17,063
35 Lincoln County $151.6M $7,409 20,463
36 Taylor County $136.8M $8,188 16,705
37 Barbour County $126.1M $8,155 15,465
38 Braxton County $119.9M $9,630 12,447
39 Monroe County $117.9M $9,530 12,376
40 Wetzel County $111.7M $7,735 14,442
41 Summers County $109.0M $9,115 11,959
42 Hardy County $107.8M $7,537 14,299
43 Grant County $87.5M $7,968 10,976
44 Ritchie County $75.8M $8,981 8,444
45 Webster County $75.0M $8,955 8,378
46 Pocahontas County $70.2M $8,925 7,869
47 Clay County $66.7M $8,279 8,051
48 Tucker County $64.8M $9,578 6,762
49 Tyler County $63.2M $7,599 8,313
50 Calhoun County $62.2M $9,990 6,229
51 Pendleton County $55.0M $8,958 6,143
52 Doddridge County $54.2M $6,946 7,808
53 Pleasants County $50.7M $6,619 7,653
54 Gilmer County $49.1M $6,631 7,408
55 Wirt County $47.5M $9,138 5,194
DOGE impact for West Virginia → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to West Virginia's $13,273.

Oregon

$13,499 per capita

$57.2B total

Mississippi

$13,008 per capita

$38.5B total

New York

$12,978 per capita

$262.2B total

South Dakota

$12,944 per capita

$11.5B total

Louisiana

$12,840 per capita

$59.8B total

Compare West Virginia to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($23.8B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

  • Idaho · $22.8B total · $12,406 per capita
  • Hawaii · $22.6B total · $15,554 per capita
  • Maine · $22.0B total · $16,154 per capita
  • Nebraska · $27.7B total · $14,140 per capita

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did West Virginia receive in FY2025?

West Virginia received a thin absolute book of $23.8B in FY2025 ($13,273 per capita; population 1,793,716).

What is the largest category of federal spending in West Virginia?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 22,367 awards (54.1% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 7,019 awards.

How has federal spending in West Virginia changed over time?

Federal spending in West Virginia increased by 1.7% from FY2020 ($23.4B) to FY2025 ($23.8B).

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

West Virginia's $13,273 runs 15.2% below the $15,647 national average (rank #30 of 57).

Where does West Virginia rank nationally in federal spending?

West Virginia ranks #42 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #30 in per capita spending. The state received $23.8B total ($13,273 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in West Virginia?

The top federal agency spending in West Virginia is Social Security Administration with $10.8B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($5.5B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.7B).

How many counties in West Virginia receive federal spending?

55 counties in West Virginia receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Kanawha County with $2.1B.

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

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