US federal budgetOctober 2018 to September 2019
Federal spending in 2019
The federal government spent $4.45 trillion in FY2019 and took in $3.46 trillion, so it borrowed 22¢ of every dollar it spent.In fiscal year 2019 (October 2018 to September 2019) the federal government spent $4.45 trillion and took in $3.46 trillion, leaving a deficit of $984.4 billion.
Spending by function
Where each dollar went in FY2019
Cents per dollar of gross function outlays. Hover or tap a block for the amount.
All functions as a table
| Function | Outlays | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | $1.04 trillion | 22.8% |
| National Defense | $687.6 billion | 15.0% |
| Medicare | $651.0 billion | 14.2% |
| Health | $584.8 billion | 12.8% |
| Income Security | $515.4 billion | 11.3% |
| Net Interest | $375.6 billion | 8.2% |
| Veterans Benefits and Services | $200.0 billion | 4.4% |
| Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services | $135.0 billion | 3.0% |
| Transportation | $96.2 billion | 2.1% |
| Administration of Justice | $66.0 billion | 1.4% |
| International Affairs | $52.7 billion | 1.2% |
| Agriculture | $40.2 billion | 0.9% |
| Natural Resources and Environment | $35.9 billion | 0.8% |
| General Science, Space, and Technology | $32.5 billion | 0.7% |
| Community and Regional Development | $29.1 billion | 0.6% |
| General Government | $19.4 billion | 0.4% |
| Energy | $5.1 billion | 0.1% |
| Commerce and Housing Credit | -$26.1 billion | – |
| Undistributed Offsetting Receipts | -$98.2 billion | – |
Shares are of the positive function lines. Negative lines are receipts netted against spending (for example, agencies' receipts from employee retirement contributions and offshore oil leases).
Outlays were up 8.2% on FY2018 ($4.11 trillion). The largest function was Social Security ($1.04 trillion, 22.8% of gross function spending), followed by National Defense (15.0%), Medicare (14.2%), Health (12.8%). Individual income taxes brought in $1.72 trillion, 49.6% of all receipts.
Where the money came from
| Source | Receipts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Income Taxes | $1.72 trillion | 49.6% |
| Employment and General Retirement | $1.20 trillion | 34.6% |
| Corporation Income Taxes | $230.2 billion | 6.7% |
| Excise Taxes | $98.9 billion | 2.9% |
| Miscellaneous Receipts | $84.6 billion | 2.4% |
| Customs Duties | $70.8 billion | 2.0% |
| Unemployment Insurance | $40.9 billion | 1.2% |
| Estate and Gift Taxes | $16.7 billion | 0.5% |
| Other Retirement | $4.8 billion | 0.1% |
Federal awards by state, FY2019
Contracts, grants, loans and direct payments by place of performance, from USAspending.gov, excluding Medicare. Select a column heading to sort.
| State | Awards | Per resident |
|---|---|---|
| California | $285.5B | – |
| Texas | $200.8B | – |
| New York | $171.6B | – |
| Florida | $162.2B | – |
| Pennsylvania | $113.7B | – |
| Virginia | $112.8B | – |
| Ohio | $86.3B | – |
| Illinois | $85.7B | – |
| Michigan | $78.2B | – |
| North Carolina | $76.0B | – |
| Maryland | $75.0B | – |
| Georgia | $69.4B | – |
| Massachusetts | $67.3B | – |
| Washington | $65.5B | – |
| Arizona | $65.2B | – |
| New Jersey | $62.0B | – |
| Missouri | $56.8B | – |
| Tennessee | $54.7B | – |
| Alabama | $50.7B | – |
| Indiana | $50.2B | – |
| Kentucky | $44.6B | – |
| Connecticut | $44.3B | – |
| Wisconsin | $43.8B | – |
| Colorado | $43.6B | – |
| South Carolina | $41.4B | – |
| Minnesota | $40.2B | – |
| Louisiana | $38.1B | – |
| District of Columbia | $34.4B | – |
| Oregon | $33.7B | – |
| Oklahoma | $31.6B | – |
| Mississippi | $30.1B | – |
| New Mexico | $27.5B | – |
| Arkansas | $25.2B | – |
| Puerto Rico | $24.5B | – |
| Iowa | $24.2B | – |
| Nevada | $21.0B | – |
| Kansas | $20.4B | – |
| West Virginia | $18.0B | – |
| Utah | $16.8B | – |
| Maine | $14.5B | – |
| Idaho | $13.6B | – |
| Nebraska | $13.5B | – |
| Hawaii | $12.2B | – |
| New Hampshire | $12.1B | – |
| Alaska | $10.3B | – |
| Montana | $9.8B | – |
| Rhode Island | $9.2B | – |
| Delaware | $8.0B | – |
| South Dakota | $8.0B | – |
| North Dakota | $6.5B | – |
| Vermont | $5.8B | – |
| Wyoming | $4.6B | – |
| Guam | $1.9B | – |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $1.7B | – |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $594.7M | – |
| American Samoa | $485.4M | – |
Foreign aid in FY2019
US agencies obligated $48.8 billion in foreign assistance in FY2019, of which USAID managed $21.2 billion.
See how your own federal tax splits across this spending
Questions and answers
- How much did the federal government spend in 2019?
- $4.45 trillion in fiscal year 2019 (October 2018 to September 2019), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
- What was the biggest federal expense in 2019?
- Social Security: $1.04 trillion.
- What was the federal deficit in 2019?
- Receipts were $3.46 trillion and outlays $4.45 trillion, so the deficit was $984.4 billion.
Sources and notes
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9, fiscal year to date as of 2019-09-30 (Fiscal Data API). Public domain.
- State figures: USAspending.gov, retrieved 2026-10-04.