US federal budgetOctober 2019 to September 2020
Federal spending in 2020
The federal government spent $6.55 trillion in FY2020 and took in $3.42 trillion, so it borrowed 48¢ of every dollar it spent.In fiscal year 2020 (October 2019 to September 2020) the federal government spent $6.55 trillion and took in $3.42 trillion, leaving a deficit of $3.13 trillion.
Spending by function
Where each dollar went in FY2020
Cents per dollar of gross function outlays. Hover or tap a block for the amount.
All functions as a table
| Function | Outlays | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Income Security | $1.26 trillion | 19.0% |
| Social Security | $1.10 trillion | 16.5% |
| Medicare | $776.2 billion | 11.7% |
| Health | $748.3 billion | 11.2% |
| National Defense | $726.2 billion | 10.9% |
| Commerce and Housing Credit | $571.7 billion | 8.6% |
| Net Interest | $344.7 billion | 5.2% |
| Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services | $236.7 billion | 3.6% |
| Veterans Benefits and Services | $218.7 billion | 3.3% |
| General Government | $176.8 billion | 2.7% |
| Transportation | $146.2 billion | 2.2% |
| Community and Regional Development | $83.6 billion | 1.3% |
| Administration of Justice | $72.1 billion | 1.1% |
| International Affairs | $67.7 billion | 1.0% |
| Agriculture | $49.2 billion | 0.7% |
| Natural Resources and Environment | $40.7 billion | 0.6% |
| General Science, Space, and Technology | $34.1 billion | 0.5% |
| Energy | $7.2 billion | 0.1% |
| Undistributed Offsetting Receipts | -$106.4 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 47.3% on FY2019 ($4.45 trillion). The largest function was Income Security ($1.26 trillion, 19.0% of gross function spending), followed by Social Security (16.5%), Medicare (11.7%), Health (11.2%). Individual income taxes brought in $1.61 trillion, 47.0% of all receipts.
Where the money came from
| Source | Receipts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Income Taxes | $1.61 trillion | 47.0% |
| Employment and General Retirement | $1.26 trillion | 36.9% |
| Corporation Income Taxes | $211.8 billion | 6.2% |
| Miscellaneous Receipts | $116.5 billion | 3.4% |
| Excise Taxes | $86.8 billion | 2.5% |
| Customs Duties | $68.6 billion | 2.0% |
| Unemployment Insurance | $43.1 billion | 1.3% |
| Estate and Gift Taxes | $17.6 billion | 0.5% |
| Other Retirement | $5.2 billion | 0.2% |
Federal awards by state, FY2020
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 | $433.7B | $10,971 |
| Texas | $314.3B | $10,750 |
| New York | $251.5B | $12,497 |
| Florida | $224.2B | $10,383 |
| Pennsylvania | $154.7B | $11,907 |
| Virginia | $144.5B | $16,726 |
| Illinois | $130.3B | $10,184 |
| Ohio | $122.8B | $10,406 |
| Michigan | $108.9B | $10,816 |
| Georgia | $105.3B | $9,814 |
| North Carolina | $104.2B | $9,971 |
| Arizona | $103.8B | $14,445 |
| Maryland | $102.3B | $16,554 |
| Massachusetts | $96.7B | $13,846 |
| New Jersey | $90.8B | $9,798 |
| Washington | $86.1B | $11,149 |
| Missouri | $75.8B | $12,320 |
| Tennessee | $73.6B | $10,620 |
| Indiana | $67.1B | $9,880 |
| Minnesota | $65.2B | $11,426 |
| Colorado | $62.8B | $10,860 |
| Wisconsin | $62.8B | $10,644 |
| Alabama | $61.4B | $12,209 |
| Connecticut | $59.8B | $16,701 |
| Kentucky | $56.5B | $12,526 |
| Louisiana | $55.3B | $11,878 |
| South Carolina | $54.2B | $10,560 |
| Oregon | $48.4B | $11,408 |
| Oklahoma | $45.6B | $11,504 |
| District of Columbia | $43.4B | $64,658 |
| Puerto Rico | $42.5B | $12,952 |
| Mississippi | $37.9B | $12,798 |
| Iowa | $35.9B | $11,254 |
| New Mexico | $35.4B | $16,723 |
| Arkansas | $33.4B | $11,096 |
| Kansas | $30.1B | $10,251 |
| Nevada | $30.1B | $9,647 |
| Utah | $26.2B | $7,985 |
| West Virginia | $23.4B | $13,070 |
| Nebraska | $21.2B | $10,814 |
| Idaho | $20.3B | $10,970 |
| Maine | $19.2B | $14,050 |
| Hawaii | $18.2B | $12,530 |
| Alaska | $16.7B | $22,756 |
| New Hampshire | $16.4B | $11,881 |
| Montana | $14.3B | $13,116 |
| Rhode Island | $14.2B | $12,908 |
| South Dakota | $13.1B | $14,795 |
| Delaware | $12.0B | $12,063 |
| North Dakota | $11.4B | $14,684 |
| Vermont | $9.3B | $14,444 |
| Wyoming | $7.8B | $13,535 |
| Guam | $3.2B | – |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $2.6B | – |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $762.5M | – |
| American Samoa | $580.7M | – |
Foreign aid in FY2020
US agencies obligated $52.5 billion in foreign assistance in FY2020, of which USAID managed $26.2 billion.
See how your own federal tax splits across this spending
Questions and answers
- How much did the federal government spend in 2020?
- $6.55 trillion in fiscal year 2020 (October 2019 to September 2020), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
- What was the biggest federal expense in 2020?
- Income Security: $1.26 trillion.
- What was the federal deficit in 2020?
- Receipts were $3.42 trillion and outlays $6.55 trillion, so the deficit was $3.13 trillion.
Sources and notes
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9, fiscal year to date as of 2020-09-30 (Fiscal Data API). Public domain.
- State figures: USAspending.gov, retrieved 2026-10-04.