States › Colorado › Boulder County
County · Colorado · FIPS 08013
Federal spending in Boulder County, CO
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 $2.9B for work and payments in Boulder County, Colorado, in FY2026, or $8,948 per resident.
That is in line with the Colorado rate of $11,062 per resident and below the national rate of $14,743; it ranks 13 of 64 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 55% direct payments, 24% contracts, 21% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $12B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($5.1B), National Science Foundation ($1.3B) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($1.2B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $711M
- Grants $618M
- Direct payments $1.6B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $130K
- Other assistance $2.6M
| Per resident | This county | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,948 | $11,062 | $14,743 |
| Contracts | $2,163 | $2,252 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $1,881 | $3,063 | $3,526 |
| Direct payments | $4,896 | $5,689 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $0 | $22 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $8 | $35 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 13 of 64 in state · 578 of 3,143 US | 39 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 | The Regents of the University of Colorado | 158 | $526M | 19% |
| 2 | BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems Inc. | 27 | $521M | 19% |
| 3 | Longpath Development Company, LLC | 1 | $346M | 13% |
| 4 | Battelle Memorial Institute | 2 | $270M | 10% |
| 5 | B.i. Incorporated | 3 | $235M | 9% |
| 6 | Oweesta Corp | 2 | $204M | 8% |
| 7 | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | 38 | $204M | 8% |
| 8 | Colorado Department of Transportation | 30 | $143M | 5% |
| 9 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | 2 | $133M | 5% |
| 10 | E Source Companies LLC | 2 | $115M | 4% |
Largest awards performed in the county
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado's 2nd congressional district | 100% | $4.1B | $5,650 |
Other counties in Colorado
- El Paso County $10,619
- Denver County $8,634
- Jefferson County $8,648
- Douglas County $10,152
- Adams County $7,219
- Arapahoe County $5,450
- Larimer County $6,012
- Weld County $3,901
- Mesa County $6,892
- Pueblo County $6,578
- La Plata County $7,521
- Broomfield County $5,062
- Montrose County $7,795
- Fremont County $6,845
- Garfield County $4,315
- Delta County $7,653
- Montezuma County $9,109
- Eagle County $4,153
- Teller County $8,405
- Morgan County $5,603
- Elbert County $5,429
- Summit County $5,198
- Chaffee County $6,879
- Routt County $5,290
- Archuleta County $8,933
- Las Animas County $8,786
- Park County $6,525
- Otero County $6,542
- Logan County $5,435
- Alamosa County $6,432
- Rio Grande County $8,017
- Moffat County $6,597
- Pitkin County $5,134
- Gunnison County $4,867
- Yuma County $8,369
- Clear Creek County $9,018
- Huerfano County $11,297
- Grand County $4,759
- Custer County $13,026
- Prowers County $5,750
- Kit Carson County $7,220
- Ouray County $8,764
- Washington County $9,455
- Bent County $7,629
- Conejos County $5,663
- Saguache County $5,914
- Rio Blanco County $5,645
- Baca County $10,107
- Phillips County $7,509
- Costilla County $8,676
- Gilpin County $5,190
- Lincoln County $5,578
- San Miguel County $3,871
- Lake County $3,738
- Crowley County $3,878
- Cheyenne County $10,712
- Sedgwick County $7,870
- Kiowa County $10,573
- Dolores County $5,950
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Colorado.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Boulder County, Colorado?
$2.9B in award obligations in FY2026 and $12B 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?
$8,948 per resident in FY2026 (population 328,560), against $11,062 for Colorado and $14,743 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 Boulder County, Colorado?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: The Regents of the University of Colorado ($526M), BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems Inc. ($521M), Longpath Development Company, LLC ($346M), Battelle Memorial Institute ($270M) and B.i. Incorporated ($235M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Boulder County, Colorado?
Social Security Administration ($5.1B), National Science Foundation ($1.3B), National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($1.2B), Department of Commerce ($1.0B) and Department of Defense ($909M), 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.