States › California › Merced County
County · California · FIPS 06047
Federal spending in Merced County, CA
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $1.4B for work and payments in Merced County, California, in FY2026, or $4,748 per resident.
That is below the California rate of $12,003 per resident (40% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 57 of 58 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 82% direct payments, 11% contracts.
Obligations were down 15% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $5.5B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Agriculture ($420M) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($388M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $155M
- Grants $78M
- Direct payments $1.2B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $640K
- Other assistance $14M
| Per resident | This county | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $4,748 | $12,003 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $522 | $1,414 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $263 | $4,202 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $3,915 | $6,400 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $2 | −$31 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $46 | $17 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 57 of 58 in state · 3,060 of 3,144 US | 34 of 51 states | — |
Direct payments include Social Security, Medicare and similar benefit records that USAspending attributes to a county; Medicare payments are attributed to the county of the administrative contractor, which can lift or lower a county's rate a great deal. Loans count the subsidy cost, not the face value.
Obligations by fiscal year
Who funds the county FY2022–FY2025
Awarding agencies
Assistance programs
Contract industries by NAICS sector
Cross-tabulations cover the four closed fiscal years FY2022–FY2025 (the 24 largest agencies, 40 largest listings and all NAICS sectors), fetched 18 Sep 2026.
Recipients with the largest awards performed here $1.0M+ awards since FY2023
| # | Recipient organisation | Awards | Award value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NW Construction, Inc | 2 | $351M | 54% |
| 2 | Department of Transportation California | 21 | $91M | 14% |
| 3 | Merced County Office of Education | 1 | $60M | 9% |
| 4 | University of California, Merced | 16 | $30M | 5% |
| 5 | City of Merced | 6 | $28M | 4% |
| 6 | Foster Poultry Farms, LLC | 15 | $25M | 4% |
| 7 | San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority | 1 | $15M | 2% |
| 8 | Dole Packaged Foods, LLC | 7 | $14M | 2% |
| 9 | Housing Authority of the County of Merced | 4 | $6.2M | 1% |
| 10 | Merced Community College District | 3 | $6.0M | 1% |
A further $28M went to recipients not shown: individuals, aggregated records and names USAspending withholds.
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NW Construction, Inc | Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation | ContractDefinitive Contract | $257M | 20 May 2025 | USAspending |
| NW Construction, Inc | Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation | ContractDefinitive Contract | $94M | 15 Jul 2025 | USAspending |
| Merced County Office of Education | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantProject Grant (B) | $60M | 12 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| Department of Transportation California | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $17M | 17 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $16M | 28 Aug 2023 | USAspending |
| San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority | Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $15M | 7 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| City of Merced | Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $14M | 15 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| Department of Transportation California | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $9.7M | 15 Aug 2023 | USAspending |
| Department of Transportation California | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $9.3M | 22 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| City of Merced | Department of Homeland SecurityFederal Emergency Management Agency | GrantProject Grant (B) | $8.9M | 15 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| California's 13th congressional district | 100% | $1.8B | $2,248 |
Other counties in California
- Los Angeles County $7,502
- Alameda County $25,940
- San Diego County $10,845
- Orange County $7,963
- Sacramento County $9,040
- Riverside County $5,616
- Santa Clara County $6,882
- San Bernardino County $5,264
- San Francisco County $8,653
- Contra Costa County $6,045
- Ventura County $6,725
- San Mateo County $6,809
- Fresno County $4,826
- Kern County $5,183
- San Joaquin County $4,849
- Sonoma County $6,898
- Santa Barbara County $7,217
- Solano County $6,982
- Placer County $6,815
- Monterey County $6,611
- Stanislaus County $4,905
- Imperial County $14,303
- Tulare County $4,319
- San Luis Obispo County $7,406
- Marin County $7,794
- Santa Cruz County $7,007
- Shasta County $8,391
- Butte County $7,146
- El Dorado County $7,511
- Yolo County $5,355
- Humboldt County $8,533
- Nevada County $9,975
- Napa County $6,608
- Madera County $4,836
- Kings County $5,213
- Mendocino County $7,703
- Sutter County $6,166
- Lake County $7,234
- Yuba County $5,298
- Tuolumne County $8,379
- Tehama County $6,829
- Siskiyou County $9,973
- Calaveras County $8,804
- San Benito County $5,552
- Amador County $8,340
- Del Norte County $11,499
- Inyo County $15,717
- Mariposa County $16,410
- Plumas County $14,317
- Glenn County $6,948
- Lassen County $6,733
- Colusa County $6,675
- Trinity County $6,284
- Modoc County $11,461
- Mono County $5,389
- Alpine County $42,638
- Sierra County $9,554
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in California.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Merced County, California?
$1.4B in award obligations in FY2026 and $5.5B since FY2023, counting awards whose primary place of performance is in the county. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
How much federal spending per person is that?
$4,748 per resident in FY2026 (population 297,260), against $12,003 for California and $14,744 nationally. Direct payments such as Social Security and Medicare are included; the table on this page splits the rate by award type.
Which recipients dominate Merced County, California?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: NW Construction, Inc ($351M), Department of Transportation California ($91M), Merced County Office of Education ($60M), University of California, Merced ($30M) and City of Merced ($28M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Merced County, California?
Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Agriculture ($420M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($388M), Department of the Interior ($267M) and Department of Education ($249M), over FY2022–FY2025.
What does "place of performance" mean here?
USAspending records where the work is done or the payment is directed, as reported by the awarding agency. Some awards, especially grants to state governments, carry only a state-level location and are not attributed to any county or district; Medicare payments are attributed to the county of the administrative contractor.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending-by-geography (place of performance, county layer) by fiscal year and award type, loaded 30 Sep 2026; award lists from the award search endpoint; cross-tabulations for FY2022–FY2025. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 county estimates (USAspending's population figure where the Census file has none, as for Connecticut's former counties). Boundaries: Census cartographic boundary files (1:20m). Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections.