Per-capita federal spending is the most revealing metric for understanding how federal investment is distributed. While total spending favors large counties, per-capita spending shows which communities receive the most federal dollars relative to their population.
We analyzed USASpending.gov FY2024 data to rank the 25 counties with the highest per-capita federal spending. The results are striking: the top counties receive $50,000 or more per resident — while the national median is approximately $7,500.
The 25 Counties with Highest Per-Capita Federal Spending
Ranked by FY2024 per-capita federal obligations. Only counties with population above 10,000 are included to avoid statistical outliers from very small populations.
| Rank | County | State | Per-Capita | Total Spending | Contracts | Grants |
|---|
What Drives Extreme Per-Capita Spending?
Counties with exceptionally high per-capita spending typically share one or more of these characteristics:
- Military bases: Counties with large Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine installations receive massive contract and personnel funding relative to their civilian population.
- National laboratories: Counties hosting Department of Energy national labs, defense research facilities, or classified operations see enormous per-capita research spending.
- Federal hospitals: VA medical centers and military hospitals concentrate healthcare funding in their host counties.
- Small populations with major facilities: A county of 20,000 residents with a billion-dollar federal facility will show $50,000 per capita — even though most residents are not direct beneficiaries.
The Per-Capita Perspective
Per-capita spending reveals federal investment intensity, but it does not tell the whole story. A county with $100,000 per capita may have most of that funding going to a military contractor rather than local residents. Conversely, a county with $3,000 per capita may have most of that funding flowing through local government grants that directly benefit the community.
To understand the full picture, examine both the total spending and the breakdown between contracts (goods and services) and grants (awards to governments and organizations).
Methodology
All data comes from USASpending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury, FY2024. Per-capita spending is calculated by dividing total federal obligations by county population (U.S. Census Bureau estimates). Counties with population below 10,000 or missing spending data were excluded.
Data source: USASpending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury, FY2024 (Oct 2023 – Sep 2024). All figures are estimates based on federal obligation data and may not reflect current spending.