Where the money goes

A large share of federal contracting dollars is spent in the District of Columbia and in the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland, according to a report by the Census Bureau.

The 120-page Federal Funds report details all federal expenditures by state and county, including retirement and disability payments, salaries for federal employees, and grants,
in addition to contracting expenditures.

In the past decade, federal procurement spending has shifted slightly. Top recipients in fiscal 1997 were California, $26 billion; Virginia, $16 billion; and Texas, $13 billion.

Maryland and Florida each received $8 billion in federal contracts that year, and Massachusetts and Missouri received $6 billion. The District of Columbia was not among the top six
recipients, having received only $4 billion, the report states. The top fiscal expenditures by state for fiscal 2006 were:

Defense Department
spending:

• California: $43B
  
  
• Virginia: $42B
  
  
• Texas: $36B
  
  
• Maryland: $22B

• Virginia: $12B
  Maryland: $12B
  
  
• California: $11B
  
  
• Washington, D.C.: $10B
  
  
• Texas: $8.5B

• Louisiana: $3B
  
  
• Virginia: $3B
  
  
• Washington, D.C.: $2.5B
  
  
• Maryland: $1B