States › Colorado › Custer County

County · Colorado · FIPS 08027

Federal spending in Custer County, CO

Population 5,590 (2025 estimate) · per-resident rank 2 of 64 counties in Colorado · congressional district CO-07

low → high per resident, FY2026 this countyColorado counties; boundaries US Census Bureau.

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 $79M for work and payments in Custer County, Colorado, in FY2026, or $14,087 per resident.

That is above the Colorado rate of $11,062 per resident and in line with the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 2 of 64 counties in the state.

The FY2026 mix was 77% direct payments, 16% contracts.

Obligations were up 22% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $261M.

Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($174M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($33M) and Department of Transportation ($16M).

$79Mobligations performed in the county, FY2026FY2026 (1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026) · obligations

$14,087per residentFY2026 · obligationsColorado: $11,062 · US: $14,744

$261Mfive-year totalFY2023–FY2027 to date · obligations

$0FY2027 to dateFY2027, through 30 Sep 2026 · obligations

7awards of $1.0M+ begun here since FY2023FY2023–FY2027

Per resident, by award type FY2026

Contracts $13M
Grants $165K
Direct payments $61M
Loans (subsidy cost) $28K
Other assistance $5.1M

Per resident	This county	Colorado	United States
All award obligations	$14,087	$11,062	$14,744
Contracts	$2,250	$2,252	$2,007
Grants	$29	$3,063	$3,528
Direct payments	$10,887	$5,689	$9,185
Loans (subsidy cost)	$5	$22	−$16
Other assistance	$915	$35	$40
Rank by per-resident rate	2 of 64 in state · 228 of 3,144 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

$61M

$57M

$65M

$79M

FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026FY2027*

Award obligations with a primary place of performance in Custer County, by fiscal year and award type. *FY2027 runs to the data date and is incomplete.

Who funds the county FY2022–FY2025

Awarding agencies

Social Security Administration$174M

Department of Veterans Affairs$33M

Department of Transportation$16M

Department of Agriculture$6.1M

Railroad Retirement Board$2.7M

Department of Housing and Urban Development$1.4M

Department of Justice$250K

Department of Education$58K

Assistance programs

96.002 Social Security Retirement Insurance$150M

64.109 Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$28M

20.205 Highway Planning and Construction$16M

96.001 Social Security Disability Insurance$13M

96.004 Social Security Survivors Insurance$9.0M

57.001 Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$2.7M

96.006 Supplemental Security Income$2.0M

64.028 Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance$943K

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	Colorado Department of Transportation	2	$5.6M	31%
2	Colorado Open Lands	1	$3.6M	20%
3	Rio Blanco County Abstract Com	1	$3.4M	19%
4	Sgi Global LLC	1	$2.6M	15%
5	Hold the Line Catering, LLC	1	$1.5M	8%
6	Town of Silver Cliff	1	$1.4M	8%

Largest awards performed in the county

Recipient	Awarding agency	Type	Award value	Begun	Record
Colorado Department of Transportation	Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration	GrantFormula Grant (a)	$3.7M	12 Sep 2023	USAspending
Colorado Open Lands	Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service	Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance	$3.6M	15 Jun 2026	USAspending
Rio Blanco County Abstract Com	Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service	Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance	$3.4M	4 Sep 2025	USAspending
Sgi Global LLC	Department of AgricultureForest Service	ContractDelivery Order	$2.6M	3 Jul 2026	USAspending
Colorado Department of Transportation	Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration	GrantFormula Grant (a)	$1.9M	19 Sep 2023	USAspending
Hold the Line Catering, LLC	Department of AgricultureForest Service	ContractDelivery Order	$1.5M	12 Jul 2026	USAspending
Town of Silver Cliff	Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAssistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development	GrantProject Grant (B)	$1.4M	20 Aug 2024	USAspending

Congressional districts

District	Share of county land area	District FY2026 obligations	Per resident
Colorado's 7th congressional district	100%	$9.2B	$12,891

Other counties in Colorado

Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Colorado.

Questions and answers

How much federal spending goes to Custer County, Colorado?

$79M in award obligations in FY2026 and $261M 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?

$14,087 per resident in FY2026 (population 5,590), against $11,062 for Colorado 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 Custer County, Colorado?

By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Colorado Department of Transportation ($5.6M), Colorado Open Lands ($3.6M), Rio Blanco County Abstract Com ($3.4M), Sgi Global LLC ($2.6M) and Hold the Line Catering, LLC ($1.5M). Individuals are never listed.

Which agencies fund Custer County, Colorado?

Social Security Administration ($174M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($33M), Department of Transportation ($16M), Department of Agriculture ($6.1M) and Railroad Retirement Board ($2.7M), 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.