Checked
Federal Spending in North Dakota
Federal agencies obligated $93.3B in North Dakota in fiscal year 2026, or $119,764 per person, 1st highest among states.
- Total, FY 2026
- $93.3B
- -5.2% from FY 2025
- Per person
- $119,764
- 779,094 residents
- Contracts
- $836M
- Grants
- $1.5B
How the money is awarded
Fiscal year 2026, share of North Dakota federal obligations
- Contracts$836M0.9%
- Grants$1.5B1.6%
- Direct payments$90.7B97.2%
- Loans (subsidy cost)-$3.4M0.0%
- Insurance and other$257M0.3%
Federal spending by county in North Dakota
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 | Cass County | $87.2B | $472,687 | $449M | $152M | $86.6B |
| 2 | Burleigh County | $906M | $9,202 | $18.4M | $303M | $580M |
| 3 | Grand Forks County | $695M | $9,498 | $150M | $152M | $384M |
| 4 | Ward County | $479M | $6,854 | $75.1M | $31.9M | $369M |
| 5 | Stutsman County | $211M | $9,749 | $18.9M | $23.9M | $164M |
| 6 | Stark County | $195M | $5,801 | $861K | $36.8M | $156M |
| 7 | Morton County | $193M | $5,808 | $1.9M | $10.9M | $179M |
| 8 | Rolette County | $184M | $15,092 | $18.3M | $40.2M | $87.5M |
| 9 | Williams County | $161M | $3,939 | $3.7M | $18.2M | $137M |
| 10 | Richland County | $130M | $7,839 | $316K | $1.2M | $127M |
| 11 | Pembina County | $128M | $18,633 | $45.8M | $15.2M | $65.8M |
| 12 | Benson County | $122M | $20,381 | $143K | $24M | $86.4M |
| 13 | Ramsey County | $115M | $9,921 | $3.7M | $12.6M | $94.8M |
| 14 | McLean County | $107M | $10,982 | $6.2M | $6.7M | $92.3M |
| 15 | Barnes County | $103M | $9,528 | $1.6M | $9.3M | $88.3M |
| 16 | McKenzie County | $101M | $6,869 | $1.4M | $24M | $52M |
| 17 | Sioux County | $97.1M | $24,919 | $10.4M | $48.4M | $32.6M |
| 18 | Traill County | $97M | $12,128 | $934K | $33.5M | $62.1M |
| 19 | Mercer County | $94.1M | $11,273 | $464K | $2.6M | $61.3M |
| 20 | Dunn County | $87.3M | $21,314 | $49.2K | $48.3M | $35.1M |
| 21 | Walsh County | $84.1M | $7,958 | $46.9K | $7.6M | $73.5M |
| 22 | Mountrail County | $76.6M | $7,808 | $2.3M | $6.4M | $64.6M |
| 23 | Bottineau County | $74M | $11,603 | $1.2M | $5.1M | $57.7M |
| 24 | Cavalier County | $71.8M | $19,390 | $0 | $154K | $68.6M |
| 25 | Oliver County | $63.2M | $33,677 | $0 | $49M | $13.9M |
| 26 | Ransom County | $54M | $9,475 | $471K | $6.1M | $46.2M |
| 27 | McHenry County | $53.2M | $9,955 | $226K | $1.3M | $45.9M |
| 28 | Dickey County | $42.2M | $8,439 | $527K | -$552K | $38M |
| 29 | Sargent County | $42M | $10,865 | $220K | $3.6M | $36.5M |
| 30 | Billings County | $39.9M | $42,199 | $875K | $9.8M | $13.8M |
| 31 | Wells County | $38.8M | $9,749 | $2.2M | -$173K | $36.6M |
| 32 | Pierce County | $38.3M | $9,609 | $11K | $4.3M | $30.6M |
| 33 | LaMoure County | $38.1M | $9,307 | $6.5M | -$1.1M | $32.6M |
| 34 | Nelson County | $36.4M | $12,073 | $3M | -$567K | $29.6M |
| 35 | Bowman County | $35.9M | $12,011 | -$12.2K | $5.4M | $25.3M |
| 36 | Emmons County | $35.6M | $10,771 | $87.8K | $1.9M | $27.9M |
| 37 | Eddy County | $35M | $14,910 | $0 | $2.3M | $30.2M |
| 38 | Towner County | $30.7M | $14,216 | $0 | $1M | $29M |
| 39 | Grant County | $30.7M | $13,332 | $85.1K | $8.1M | $19.6M |
| 40 | Burke County | $30.5M | $13,869 | $179K | -$75.5K | $25.4M |
| 41 | Divide County | $29.4M | $13,385 | $2.6M | $1.2M | $22.9M |
| 42 | Griggs County | $28.3M | $12,292 | $6.7M | $241K | $21.5M |
| 43 | McIntosh County | $26.1M | $10,335 | $0 | $6.1M | $20M |
| 44 | Foster County | $26.1M | $7,674 | $55.4K | $2.1M | $23.4M |
| 45 | Kidder County | $24.6M | $10,285 | $24.7K | -$1.7M | $24M |
| 46 | Hettinger County | $24.4M | $9,795 | $0 | $5M | $18.3M |
| 47 | Adams County | $24.3M | $11,047 | $0 | $2.2M | $19.9M |
| 48 | Renville County | $24.1M | $10,576 | $22.4K | $2.3M | $20.4M |
| 49 | Steele County | $21.9M | $12,160 | $18.2K | $816K | $19.7M |
| 50 | Golden Valley County | $18.8M | $10,811 | $0 | $2M | $12.3M |
| 51 | Logan County | $12.8M | $6,839 | $0 | -$358K | $12.3M |
| 52 | Sheridan County | $11.4M | $9,038 | $2M | -$3.7M | $11.7M |
| 53 | Slope County | $9.3M | $13,192 | $0 | $0 | $3.8M |
Top recipients in North Dakota
Fiscal year 2026
- 1North Dakota Department of Human Services$1.8B
- 2North Dakota Department of Transportation$486M
- 3Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC$335M
- 4North Dakota Department of Public Instruction$194M
- 5University of North Dakota$126M
- 6North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality$108M
- 7Three Affiliated Tribes$100M
- 8North Dakota State University$77.5M
- 9Walsh Federal LLC$74.4M
- 10Grand Forks Air Force Base Public School District No. 140$59.6M
Top awarding agencies
Fiscal year 2026
- 1Department of Health and Human Services$96.1B
- 2Social Security Administration$3.3B
- 3Department of Agriculture$1.1B
- 4Department of Transportation$780M
- 5Department of Veterans Affairs$534M
- 6Department of Defense$318M
- 7Department of Education$311M
- 8Department of the Interior$278M
- 9Department of Energy$160M
- 10Department of Housing and Urban Development$122M
Frequently asked questions
- How much federal money does North Dakota receive?
- In fiscal year 2026, federal agencies obligated $93,307,113,379 for work done or benefits received in North Dakota, about $119,764 per resident. That includes $836M in contracts, $1.5B in grants and $90.7B in direct payments.
- Which county in North Dakota gets the most federal spending?
- Cass County received the most, $87.2B, followed by Burleigh County ($906M).
- Who are the largest federal recipients in North Dakota?
- The largest recipients in fiscal year 2026 were NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ($1.8B), NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ($486M), NORIDIAN HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, LLC ($335M).
Source: USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury · Last updated 09/30/2026