US federal budgetOctober 2020 to September 2021
Federal spending in 2021
The federal government spent $6.82 trillion in FY2021 and took in $4.05 trillion, so it borrowed 41¢ of every dollar it spent.In fiscal year 2021 (October 2020 to September 2021) the federal government spent $6.82 trillion and took in $4.05 trillion, leaving a deficit of $2.77 trillion.
Spending by function
Where each dollar went in FY2021
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 | $1.65 trillion | 23.8% |
| Social Security | $1.13 trillion | 16.3% |
| Health | $796.8 billion | 11.5% |
| National Defense | $754.8 billion | 10.9% |
| Medicare | $696.5 billion | 10.0% |
| Net Interest | $352.3 billion | 5.1% |
| Commerce and Housing Credit | $304.1 billion | 4.4% |
| Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services | $296.6 billion | 4.3% |
| General Government | $269.6 billion | 3.9% |
| Veterans Benefits and Services | $234.3 billion | 3.4% |
| Transportation | $154.8 billion | 2.2% |
| Administration of Justice | $72.2 billion | 1.0% |
| Agriculture | $49.5 billion | 0.7% |
| International Affairs | $46.9 billion | 0.7% |
| Community and Regional Development | $46.5 billion | 0.7% |
| Natural Resources and Environment | $42.1 billion | 0.6% |
| General Science, Space, and Technology | $35.6 billion | 0.5% |
| Energy | $6.1 billion | 0.1% |
| Undistributed Offsetting Receipts | -$123.9 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 4.1% on FY2020 ($6.55 trillion). The largest function was Income Security ($1.65 trillion, 23.8% of gross function spending), followed by Social Security (16.3%), Health (11.5%), National Defense (10.9%). Individual income taxes brought in $2.04 trillion, 50.5% of all receipts.
Where the money came from
| Source | Receipts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Income Taxes | $2.04 trillion | 50.5% |
| Employment and General Retirement | $1.25 trillion | 30.9% |
| Corporation Income Taxes | $371.8 billion | 9.2% |
| Miscellaneous Receipts | $133.3 billion | 3.3% |
| Customs Duties | $80.0 billion | 2.0% |
| Excise Taxes | $75.3 billion | 1.9% |
| Unemployment Insurance | $56.6 billion | 1.4% |
| Estate and Gift Taxes | $27.1 billion | 0.7% |
| Other Retirement | $5.6 billion | 0.1% |
Federal awards by state, FY2021
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 | $478.0B | $12,207 |
| Texas | $342.8B | $11,593 |
| New York | $289.0B | $14,568 |
| Florida | $245.6B | $11,245 |
| Pennsylvania | $167.0B | $12,832 |
| Virginia | $160.7B | $18,560 |
| Illinois | $152.0B | $11,967 |
| Ohio | $134.8B | $11,460 |
| Michigan | $120.3B | $11,975 |
| North Carolina | $116.9B | $11,067 |
| Georgia | $115.1B | $10,664 |
| Massachusetts | $109.0B | $15,575 |
| Arizona | $106.3B | $14,619 |
| Maryland | $103.7B | $16,790 |
| New Jersey | $102.1B | $11,016 |
| Washington | $98.3B | $12,695 |
| Tennessee | $83.9B | $12,047 |
| Missouri | $79.1B | $12,820 |
| Indiana | $76.8B | $11,264 |
| Minnesota | $76.7B | $13,416 |
| Colorado | $68.5B | $11,783 |
| Alabama | $68.2B | $13,508 |
| Kentucky | $67.8B | $15,034 |
| Wisconsin | $67.2B | $11,421 |
| Louisiana | $67.1B | $14,489 |
| South Carolina | $61.7B | $11,872 |
| Connecticut | $59.2B | $16,411 |
| Puerto Rico | $58.1B | $17,807 |
| Oklahoma | $55.7B | $13,961 |
| Oregon | $54.6B | $12,834 |
| District of Columbia | $54.2B | $80,921 |
| New Mexico | $40.9B | $19,298 |
| Mississippi | $40.4B | $13,707 |
| Iowa | $37.8B | $11,803 |
| Arkansas | $37.0B | $12,213 |
| Nevada | $35.0B | $11,121 |
| Kansas | $32.8B | $11,147 |
| Utah | $28.9B | $8,664 |
| West Virginia | $26.0B | $14,585 |
| Nebraska | $22.9B | $11,667 |
| Idaho | $21.0B | $11,049 |
| Hawaii | $20.9B | $14,451 |
| Maine | $20.0B | $14,507 |
| Alaska | $18.7B | $25,418 |
| New Hampshire | $17.0B | $12,235 |
| Rhode Island | $15.8B | $14,379 |
| Montana | $15.7B | $14,187 |
| South Dakota | $14.0B | $15,653 |
| Delaware | $13.2B | $13,135 |
| North Dakota | $12.9B | $16,527 |
| Vermont | $9.9B | $15,322 |
| Wyoming | $8.4B | $14,507 |
| Guam | $5.2B | – |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $3.2B | – |
| Northern Mariana Islands | $2.3B | – |
| American Samoa | $1.4B | – |
Foreign aid in FY2021
US agencies obligated $53.4 billion in foreign assistance in FY2021, of which USAID managed $29.7 billion.
See how your own federal tax splits across this spending
Questions and answers
- How much did the federal government spend in 2021?
- $6.82 trillion in fiscal year 2021 (October 2020 to September 2021), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
- What was the biggest federal expense in 2021?
- Income Security: $1.65 trillion.
- What was the federal deficit in 2021?
- Receipts were $4.05 trillion and outlays $6.82 trillion, so the deficit was $2.77 trillion.
Sources and notes
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9, fiscal year to date as of 2021-09-30 (Fiscal Data API). Public domain.
- State figures: USAspending.gov, retrieved 2026-10-04.