Special Analysis 14-02
May 1, 2014
Summary 

Per capita federal spending is one measure for states to assess how they fare in their fiscal relationship with the federal government. This analysis provides the most recent per capita figures, focusing on the 242 federal grant-in-aid programs tracked and included in FFIS’s Grants Database. These grants account for 90% of total federal grants to state and local governments. The database primarily includes formula grants and does not capture many of the small competitive grants for which states compete.

This analysis provides per capita data for federal fiscal year (FY) 2013, using the Census Bureau’s annual population estimates from July 2013. On average, the federal government spent $1,871 per person on grants to state and local governments, ranging from $4,815 in the District of Columbia to $1,187 in Nevada.