Checked
Federal Spending in North Carolina
Federal agencies obligated $92.7B in North Carolina in fiscal year 2026, or $8,884 per person, 40th highest among states.
- Total, FY 2026
- $92.7B
- -28.4% from FY 2025
- Per person
- $8,884
- 10,439,388 residents
- Contracts
- $5.7B
- Grants
- $13.4B
How the money is awarded
Fiscal year 2026, share of North Carolina federal obligations
- Contracts$5.7B6.1%
- Grants$13.4B14.5%
- Direct payments$73.3B79.0%
- Loans (subsidy cost)$5.4M0.0%
- Insurance and other$373M0.4%
Federal spending by county in North Carolina
Fiscal year 2026, by place of performance, largest first
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| # | County | Total | Per person | Contracts | Grants | Direct payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake County | $9.8B | $8,702 | $292M | $3.9B | $5.6B |
| 2 | Durham County | $6.3B | $19,335 | $1.1B | $813M | $4.2B |
| 3 | Mecklenburg County | $5.4B | $4,872 | $217M | $308M | $4.9B |
| 4 | Cumberland County | $4.1B | $12,193 | $1B | $92.3M | $2.9B |
| 5 | Guilford County | $3.7B | $6,810 | -$28.7M | $199M | $3.5B |
| 6 | Forsyth County | $2.8B | $7,278 | $68.8M | $310M | $2.4B |
| 7 | Buncombe County | $2.4B | $8,849 | $193M | $390M | $1.8B |
| 8 | Onslow County | $2.3B | $11,391 | $674M | $18.7M | $1.6B |
| 9 | Brunswick County | $2B | $14,846 | $55M | $44.6M | $1.9B |
| 10 | New Hanover County | $1.9B | $8,550 | $97.8M | $118M | $1.7B |
| 11 | Haywood County | $1.8B | $28,431 | $216K | $1.2B | $518M |
| 12 | Orange County | $1.5B | $10,401 | $52.5M | $629M | $849M |
| 13 | Gaston County | $1.5B | $6,538 | $5.5M | $70.5M | $1.4B |
| 14 | Craven County | $1.5B | $14,635 | $512M | $33.6M | $925M |
| 15 | Johnston County | $1.5B | $6,730 | $55.9M | $131M | $1.3B |
| 16 | Iredell County | $1.4B | $7,608 | $120M | $86.2M | $1.2B |
| 17 | Henderson County | $1.3B | $11,563 | $238M | $143M | $962M |
| 18 | Union County | $1.3B | $5,275 | $20.7M | $26.7M | $1.2B |
| 19 | Catawba County | $1.2B | $7,388 | -$1M | $29M | $1.2B |
| 20 | Cabarrus County | $1.2B | $5,238 | $4.3M | $22.2M | $1.1B |
| 21 | Pitt County | $1.1B | $6,647 | $36.5M | $50.5M | $1B |
| 22 | Davidson County | $1.1B | $6,574 | $3.1M | $12.5M | $1.1B |
| 23 | Rowan County | $1.1B | $7,420 | $89.3M | $20.5M | $977M |
| 24 | Moore County | $1.1B | $10,709 | $40M | $6.5M | $1B |
| 25 | Alamance County | $1.1B | $6,126 | -$12.1M | $7.1M | $1.1B |
| 26 | Robeson County | $958M | $8,222 | $26.5M | $142M | $784M |
| 27 | Randolph County | $925M | $6,414 | $5.8M | $25.3M | $892M |
| 28 | Harnett County | $918M | $6,871 | -$8.8M | $64.4M | $859M |
| 29 | Wayne County | $894M | $7,620 | $64.5M | $22.2M | $803M |
| 30 | Yancey County | $788M | $42,657 | $16.6M | $625M | $141M |
| 31 | Rockingham County | $750M | $8,229 | $65.5M | $27.3M | $651M |
| 32 | Nash County | $719M | $7,574 | $27.1M | $11.2M | $680M |
| 33 | Cleveland County | $706M | $7,097 | $5.1M | $15.1M | $684M |
| 34 | Carteret County | $654M | $9,659 | $19.8M | $3.7M | $629M |
| 35 | Rutherford County | $651M | $10,100 | -$11.3M | $184M | $474M |
| 36 | Chatham County | $642M | $8,415 | $5.2M | $6.7M | $627M |
| 37 | Lincoln County | $604M | $6,955 | $1.3M | $1.1M | $601M |
| 38 | Burke County | $591M | $6,749 | $6.3M | $9.7M | $573M |
| 39 | Wilson County | $580M | $7,366 | $9.7M | $6.4M | $564M |
| 40 | Pasquotank County | $574M | $14,144 | $255M | $18.4M | $299M |
| 41 | Caldwell County | $562M | $6,971 | $3.2M | $27.7M | $529M |
| 42 | Lee County | $547M | $8,647 | $5M | $13.4M | $527M |
| 43 | Dare County | $532M | $14,403 | $42.7M | $188M | $291M |
| 44 | Pender County | $503M | $8,354 | $389K | $4M | $498M |
| 45 | Wilkes County | $488M | $7,392 | $3M | $16.7M | $465M |
| 46 | Surry County | $473M | $6,623 | $666K | $6.8M | $462M |
| 47 | Hoke County | $469M | $9,012 | $14.7M | $1.6M | $451M |
| 48 | Franklin County | $463M | $6,745 | $437K | $4.6M | $457M |
| 49 | Lenoir County | $437M | $7,936 | $1.5M | $14.1M | $421M |
| 50 | Beaufort County | $433M | $9,699 | $2.8M | $17.1M | $411M |
| 51 | Stanly County | $433M | $6,922 | $2.6M | $3.9M | $424M |
| 52 | Columbus County | $411M | $8,113 | $89.2K | $31.7M | $377M |
| 53 | McDowell County | $403M | $9,036 | -$13.5M | $101M | $315M |
| 54 | Sampson County | $394M | $6,676 | $352K | $10.3M | $381M |
| 55 | Halifax County | $386M | $7,937 | $3.7M | $10.1M | $371M |
| 56 | Granville County | $382M | $6,260 | $19.1M | $5.4M | $356M |
| 57 | Richmond County | $366M | $8,514 | $40.8M | $15.7M | $308M |
| 58 | Edgecombe County | $364M | $7,448 | $58K | $13.3M | $349M |
| 59 | Duplin County | $345M | $7,087 | $7M | $3.8M | $330M |
| 60 | Stokes County | $344M | $7,727 | $19.6K | $4.4M | $339M |
| 61 | Davie County | $343M | $8,026 | $11.7M | $6.8M | $323M |
| 62 | Watauga County | $337M | $6,223 | -$20.7M | $37.5M | $318M |
| 63 | Macon County | $330M | $8,903 | $3.3M | $4.5M | $321M |
| 64 | Cherokee County | $326M | $11,335 | $10.7M | $26.5M | $288M |
| 65 | Vance County | $323M | $7,590 | $34.7M | -$207K | $288M |
| 66 | Transylvania County | $314M | $9,515 | $27.6M | $12.9M | $272M |
| 67 | Person County | $279M | $7,142 | $867K | $1.6M | $276M |
| 68 | Jackson County | $278M | $6,445 | $832K | $16.9M | $260M |
| 69 | Yadkin County | $261M | $7,013 | $1,319 | $14.5M | $246M |
| 70 | Bladen County | $259M | $8,755 | $6.6M | $6.1M | $241M |
| 71 | Scotland County | $256M | $7,485 | $2.5M | $5M | $247M |
| 72 | Currituck County | $245M | $8,713 | $987K | $245K | $243M |
| 73 | Alexander County | $241M | $6,623 | $71K | $312K | $241M |
| 74 | Polk County | $222M | $11,501 | -$54.8K | $36M | $186M |
| 75 | Tyrrell County | $213M | $65,754 | $5.1M | $187M | $21.7M |
| 76 | Mitchell County | $213M | $14,277 | $36.3M | $61.6M | $110M |
| 77 | Ashe County | $206M | $7,762 | -$13.7M | $12M | $206M |
| 78 | Caswell County | $190M | $8,362 | $136K | $307K | $161M |
| 79 | Martin County | $180M | $8,171 | $176K | $9.3M | $169M |
| 80 | Hertford County | $180M | $8,344 | $28.1M | $4.1M | $147M |
| 81 | Montgomery County | $174M | $6,751 | $1.9M | $2M | $168M |
| 82 | Northampton County | $160M | $9,145 | $0 | $2.3M | $157M |
| 83 | Anson County | $156M | $7,093 | -$8,638 | $1.8M | $153M |
| 84 | Swain County | $155M | $10,949 | $257K | $12.8M | $141M |
| 85 | Bertie County | $148M | $8,264 | -$1,608 | $7.9M | $139M |
| 86 | Avery County | $142M | $8,000 | $4.6M | $20.1M | $116M |
| 87 | Pamlico County | $131M | $10,692 | $10.7K | $4.2M | $126M |
| 88 | Chowan County | $129M | $9,440 | $2.1M | $2.1M | $125M |
| 89 | Perquimans County | $125M | $9,594 | -$243K | $1.2M | $123M |
| 90 | Madison County | $113M | $5,318 | $5.2M | -$47.6M | $155M |
| 91 | Clay County | $110M | $9,942 | -$149 | -$12.5M | $122M |
| 92 | Greene County | $108M | $5,275 | $19.9K | $1.2M | $106M |
| 93 | Warren County | $103M | $5,545 | -$19.3M | $830K | $122M |
| 94 | Jones County | $103M | $11,269 | $2.4M | $1.1M | $98.9M |
| 95 | Graham County | $102M | $12,658 | $423K | $47.3M | $53.7M |
| 96 | Washington County | $100M | $9,133 | $8,360 | $5.2M | $92.4M |
| 97 | Alleghany County | $100M | $9,186 | $4.5M | $1.8M | $92.9M |
| 98 | Camden County | $91.4M | $8,829 | $32K | $3.9M | $87.1M |
| 99 | Gates County | $87.7M | $8,374 | $0 | $9.2M | $77.8M |
| 100 | Hyde County | $34.6M | $7,546 | $917K | $3M | $30.4M |
Top recipients in North Carolina
Fiscal year 2026
- 1North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services$33.4B
- 2Transportation North Carolina Department$4.5B
- 3North Carolina Department of Public Safety$2.1B
- 4North Carolina Department of Public Instruction$2B
- 5University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$723M
- 6Duke University$673M
- 7North Carolina Department of Transportation$616M
- 8Research Triangle Institute$585M
- 9North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality$394M
- 10Walsh Federal LLC$297M
Top awarding agencies
Fiscal year 2026
- 1Social Security Administration$53.5B
- 2Department of Health and Human Services$36.4B
- 3Department of Veterans Affairs$11.8B
- 4Department of Transportation$5.9B
- 5Department of Agriculture$5.3B
- 6Department of Education$2.8B
- 7Department of Defense$2.7B
- 8Department of Homeland Security$2.5B
- 9Department of Housing and Urban Development$1.2B
- 10General Services Administration$833M
By congressional district
Fiscal year 2026
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| District | Total | Per person | Contracts | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC-01 | $5.7B | $7,623 | $358M | $331M |
| NC-02 | $4B | $5,367 | $161M | $3.7B |
| NC-03 | $7.5B | $10,052 | $1.3B | $328M |
| NC-04 | $7.8B | $10,425 | $1.2B | $1.4B |
| NC-05 | $3.7B | $5,017 | $17M | $224M |
| NC-06 | $2.7B | $3,623 | $155M | $94.3M |
| NC-07 | $5.4B | $7,180 | $351M | $259M |
| NC-08 | $2.7B | $3,634 | $61.4M | $120M |
| NC-09 | $4.6B | $6,045 | $930M | $81.6M |
| NC-10 | $3.9B | $5,124 | $188M | $334M |
| NC-11 | $8.8B | $11,694 | $527M | $2.6B |
| NC-12 | $542M | $729 | $92.3M | $230M |
| NC-13 | $3.9B | $5,093 | $178M | $121M |
| NC-14 | $3.6B | $4,666 | $124M | $281M |
Frequently asked questions
- How much federal money does North Carolina receive?
- In fiscal year 2026, federal agencies obligated $92,740,715,853 for work done or benefits received in North Carolina, about $8,884 per resident. That includes $5.7B in contracts, $13.4B in grants and $73.3B in direct payments.
- Which county in North Carolina gets the most federal spending?
- Wake County received the most, $9.8B, followed by Durham County ($6.3B).
- Who are the largest federal recipients in North Carolina?
- The largest recipients in fiscal year 2026 were NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES ($33.4B), TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT ($4.5B), NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ($2.1B).
Source: USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury · Last updated 09/30/2026