WhereTaxMoneyGoesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA): federal spending, contracts and grants
In fiscal year 2026, Department of Agriculture reported $222.7 billion in obligations and $219.7 billion in outlays, about 3.0% of all budgetary resources tracked on USAspending. Below: where its award money went, who received the most, and how its spending has changed since FY 2017.
FY 2026 figures are still being reported by agencies and will change as late submissions arrive.
Mission
We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.
How USDA awarded money in FY 2026
Award obligations are the part of an agency's spending that goes out as contracts, grants, loans, direct payments and other awards to outside recipients. The rest pays for salaries, internal operations and transfers that are not awards.
| Award type | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| Direct payments | $104.0 billion | |
| Grants | $52.7 billion | |
| Contracts | $10.8 billion | |
| Other assistance | $5.3 billion | |
| Loans (face value) | $575.9 million | |
| Contract vehicles (IDVs) | $25.5 million |
Obligations by fiscal year
FY 2026 obligations of $222.7 billion were down 20% from FY 2025 ($276.6 billion) and compare with $135.7 billion in FY 2017.
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $222.7 billion |
| FY 2025 | $276.6 billion |
| FY 2024 | $253.9 billion |
| FY 2023 | $296.6 billion |
| FY 2022 | $286.9 billion |
| FY 2021 | $260.0 billion |
| FY 2020 | $290.7 billion |
| FY 2019 | $204.7 billion |
| FY 2018 | $183.5 billion |
| FY 2017 | $135.7 billion |
Top recipients, FY 2026
Ranked by award obligations from USDA. "Multiple recipients" groups aggregated or redacted records, such as payments to individuals.
| # | Recipient | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redacted Due to Pii | $16.7 billion | |
| 2 | Department of Social Services California | $14.5 billion | |
| 3 | New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance | $7.7 billion | |
| 4 | Health & Human SVC Commn TX | $7.5 billion | |
| 5 | Florida Department of Children and Families | $5.2 billion | |
| 6 | PA Department of Human Services | $4.3 billion | |
| 7 | Illinois Department of Human Service | $4.3 billion | |
| 8 | Agriculture, Texas Department of | $3.6 billion | |
| 9 | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services | $3.4 billion | |
| 10 | North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services | $3.3 billion |
Top states, FY 2026
By place of performance — where the work is done or the money is used.
| # | State | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $21.5 billion | |
| 2 | Texas | $13.6 billion | |
| 3 | New York | $10.9 billion | |
| 4 | Florida | $8.6 billion | |
| 5 | Illinois | $6.5 billion | |
| 6 | Georgia | $6.3 billion | |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $6.2 billion | |
| 8 | North Carolina | $5.3 billion | |
| 9 | Michigan | $4.8 billion | |
| 10 | Ohio | $4.7 billion |
Search this agency's awards
Search USDA awards for FY 2026
Agencies of similar size
Source data last updated November 4, 2026 · Imported November 6, 2026 · Dollar figures are nominal and rounded. How these numbers are calculated · Report a problem