PlainSpending

Wisconsin Federal Spending

$19,169 per resident in FY2025 - high intensity (rank #15).

$113.0B total · $19,169 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #17 total, #15 per capita · 22.5% above national avg

In FY2025, Wisconsin received $113.0B in federal spending - $19,169 per capita, ranking #15 among 57 states and 22.5% above the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 43.4% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.

Wisconsin · FY2025

Wisconsin received $113.0B in federal spending in FY2025 - $19,169 per resident, 22.5% above the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$113.0B
#17 of 57 states
Per resident
$19,169
#15 per capita
Latest annual change
+$1.5B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+1.3%)
Top agency
Dept. of Health and Human Services
$63.1B

High per-resident intensity

Wisconsin ranks #14 of 56 by per-capita federal spending ($19,169).

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $113.0B to Wisconsin in FY2025 ($19,169 per resident across 5,893,718 people). Total-dollar rank #17 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #15 (22.5% above the $15,647 national average).

High per-resident intensity shapes the award-count mix: 79,538 contracts, 10,386 grants, 16,072 loans, and 86,540 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 43.4% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 79,538 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in Wisconsin, with $63.1B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $33.0B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Wisconsin has contracted 10.4% from $126.0B in FY2020 to $113.0B in FY2025 - against an already above-average intensity band. Combined with 72 counties and top recipient State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services at $11.0B, 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) Wisconsin 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 high-intensity state sits

Total Spending

$113.0B

Rank #17

Per Capita

$19,169

Rank #15

Population

5,893,718

Contract Awards

79,538

Grant Awards

10,386

Total Federal Spending

$113.0B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$19,169

Rank #15

Counties Receiving

72

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$63.1B

Department of Health and Human

Wisconsin award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards43.4%39.9%8.1%Direct PaymentsContractsLoansGrantsOther
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.
Wisconsin per-capita federal spending vs. national average 83.3%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 43.4% of tracked awards in Wisconsin (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 86,540 awards (43.4%)
Contracts 79,538 awards (39.9%)
Loans 16,072 awards (8.1%)
Grants 10,386 awards (5.2%)
Other 6,996 awards (3.5%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Wisconsin National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $19,169 $15,647 +22.5%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Wisconsin

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Wisconsin during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Health and Human Services $63.1B 55.9%
2 Social Security Administration $33.0B 29.2%
3 Department of Veterans Affairs $5.5B 4.8%
4 Department of Defense $3.1B 2.7%
5 Department of Agriculture $2.5B 2.2%
6 Department of Transportation $1.7B 1.5%
7 Department of Education $1.3B 1.1%
8 Department of Housing and Urban Development $692.7M 0.6%
9 Environmental Protection Agency $387.0M 0.3%
10 Department of Energy $284.1M 0.3%

Top Recipients in Wisconsin

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Wisconsin.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services $11.0B
2 Optumserve Health Services, INC. $2.5B
3 Oshkosh Defense LLC $1.4B
4 Wisconsin Department of Transportation $1.4B
5 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction $837.5M
6 University of Wisconsin System $758.0M
7 State of Wisconsin Dept of Children && Families $722.0M
8 Amtec Corporation $401.1M
9 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources $323.9M
10 State of Wisconsin Dept of Admin $235.8M
11 State of Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance $223.3M
12 Workforce Development, Wisconsin Department Of $218.1M
13 Department of Military Affairs Wisconsin $169.4M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$1.5B (+1.3%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Wisconsin decreased 10.4% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$90B$100B$110B$120B$130B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $113B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $113.0B $19,169 5,893,718
FY2024 $111.5B $18,921 5,893,718
FY2023 $103.7B $17,599 5,893,718
FY2022 $95.3B $16,170 5,893,718
FY2021 $110.5B $18,740 5,893,718
FY2020 $126.0B $21,382 5,893,718

Counties in Wisconsin

72 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Dane County $54.4B $96,863 561,504
2 Milwaukee County $6.0B $6,376 939,489
3 Winnebago County $3.7B $21,391 171,730
4 La Crosse County $3.4B $28,100 120,784
5 Waukesha County $3.2B $7,959 406,978
6 Brown County $1.8B $6,595 268,740
7 Rock County $1.5B $9,463 163,687
8 Outagamie County $1.4B $7,226 190,705
9 Wood County $1.4B $18,422 74,207
10 Racine County $1.3B $6,617 197,727
11 Kenosha County $1.1B $6,400 169,151
12 Washington County $957.9M $7,004 136,761
13 Marathon County $908.3M $6,581 138,013
14 Sheboygan County $823.8M $6,979 118,034
15 Walworth County $733.1M $6,885 106,478
16 Ozaukee County $704.7M $7,701 91,503
17 Fond Du Lac County $702.2M $6,742 104,154
18 Eau Claire County $674.3M $6,379 105,710
19 Manitowoc County $620.6M $7,628 81,359
20 Dodge County $594.9M $6,655 89,396
21 St. Croix County $594.2M $6,353 93,536
22 Jefferson County $557.5M $6,567 84,900
23 Marinette County $526.2M $12,567 41,872
24 Monroe County $485.6M $10,493 46,274
25 Portage County $480.2M $6,824 70,377
26 Waupaca County $479.0M $9,244 51,812
27 Sauk County $472.5M $7,184 65,763
28 Chippewa County $471.0M $7,104 66,297
29 Columbia County $449.9M $7,691 58,490
30 Oneida County $392.8M $10,379 37,845
31 Barron County $381.9M $8,176 46,711
32 Polk County $369.1M $8,206 44,977
33 Douglas County $358.7M $8,097 44,295
34 Grant County $344.1M $6,625 51,938
35 Door County $315.1M $10,482 30,066
36 Oconto County $308.8M $7,925 38,965
37 Shawano County $307.3M $7,517 40,881
38 Calumet County $301.0M $5,740 52,442
39 Dunn County $294.6M $6,483 45,440
40 Pierce County $286.7M $6,792 42,212
41 Vilas County $271.2M $11,766 23,047
42 Green County $268.1M $7,229 37,093
43 Juneau County $250.9M $9,389 26,718
44 Lincoln County $238.8M $8,404 28,415
45 Adams County $237.0M $11,473 20,654
46 Vernon County $222.0M $7,227 30,714
47 Sawyer County $214.7M $11,878 18,074
48 Clark County $213.1M $6,149 34,659
49 Waushara County $210.4M $8,581 24,520
50 Trempealeau County $201.7M $6,558 30,760
51 Burnett County $182.9M $11,065 16,526
52 Bayfield County $178.6M $11,009 16,220
53 Washburn County $176.5M $10,617 16,623
54 Kewaunee County $169.2M $8,229 20,563
55 Langlade County $168.8M $8,659 19,491
56 Iowa County $167.2M $7,054 23,709
57 Ashland County $162.8M $10,157 16,027
58 Jackson County $155.5M $7,352 21,145
59 Marquette County $152.9M $9,808 15,592
60 Green Lake County $152.8M $8,034 19,018
61 Crawford County $142.4M $8,835 16,113
62 Price County $136.2M $9,689 14,054
63 Taylor County $126.5M $6,351 19,913
64 Richland County $121.4M $7,016 17,304
65 Rusk County $121.0M $8,527 14,188
66 Lafayette County $118.7M $7,144 16,611
67 Forest County $109.2M $11,894 9,179
68 Buffalo County $105.7M $7,939 13,317
69 Menominee County $73.7M $17,321 4,255
70 Iron County $65.9M $10,736 6,137
71 Pepin County $62.6M $8,559 7,318
72 Florence County $46.9M $10,285 4,558
DOGE impact for Wisconsin → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Wisconsin's $19,169.

New Mexico

$19,577 per capita

$41.5B total

New Mexico

$19,577 per capita

$41.5B total

Tennessee

$17,561 per capita

$121.4B total

Maryland

$17,102 per capita

$105.6B total

Pennsylvania

$21,653 per capita

$281.6B total

Compare Wisconsin to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($113.0B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Wisconsin rank nationally in federal spending?

Wisconsin ranks #15 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($19,169) and #17 on absolute volume ($113.0B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Wisconsin?

The top federal agency spending in Wisconsin is Department of Health and Human Services with $63.1B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($33.0B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($5.5B).

How much federal spending did Wisconsin receive in FY2025?

Wisconsin received a heavy absolute book of $113.0B in FY2025 ($19,169 per capita; population 5,893,718).

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

Wisconsin's $19,169 runs 22.5% above the $15,647 national average (rank #15 of 57).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Wisconsin?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 86,540 awards (43.4% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 79,538 awards.

How many counties in Wisconsin receive federal spending?

72 counties in Wisconsin receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Dane County with $54.4B.

How has federal spending in Wisconsin changed over time?

Federal spending in Wisconsin decreased by 10.4% from FY2020 ($126.0B) to FY2025 ($113.0B).

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

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