County · Idaho · FIPS 16045
Federal spending in Gem County, ID
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 $157M for work and payments in Gem County, Idaho, in FY2025, or $7,222 per resident.
That is below the Idaho rate of $11,271 per resident and below the national rate of $15,158; it ranks 28 of 44 counties in the state.
The FY2025 mix was 96% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2024, and the five-year total since FY2022 is $717M, with $153M so far in FY2026.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($461M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($72M) and Department of the Interior ($9.5M).
Per resident, by award type FY2025
- Contracts $606K
- Grants $741K
- Direct payments $151M
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$43K
- Other assistance $4.8M
| Per resident | This county | Idaho | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $7,222 | $11,271 | $15,158 |
| Contracts | $28 | $1,945 | $2,164 |
| Grants | $34 | $2,889 | $3,542 |
| Direct payments | $6,943 | $6,383 | $9,398 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$2 | −$20 | $1 |
| Other assistance | $219 | $73 | $53 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 28 of 44 in state · 2,164 of 3,144 US | 41 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 FY2022
| # | Recipient organisation | Awards | Award value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellowstone Electric Co | 1 | $7.8M | 46% |
| 2 | Transportation, Idaho Department of | 1 | $3.0M | 17% |
| 3 | Optical Coating Solutions, Inc. | 1 | $1.2M | 7% |
| 4 | LG Forestry, LLC | 1 | $1.1M | 7% |
| 5 | Price Contracting Inc | 1 | $1.1M | 6% |
A further $2.9M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone Electric Co | Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation | ContractDefinitive Contract | $7.8M | 12 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Idaho Department of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $3.0M | 15 Nov 2022 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $2.9M | 15 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| Optical Coating Solutions, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDefinitive Contract | $1.2M | 1 Feb 2023 | USAspending |
| LG Forestry, LLC | Department of AgricultureForest Service | ContractBpa Call | $1.1M | 31 Mar 2026 | USAspending |
| Price Contracting Inc | Department of AgricultureForest Service | ContractDelivery Order | $1.1M | 13 Apr 2023 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2025 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho's 1st congressional district | 100% | $5.8B | $5,967 |
Other counties in Idaho
- Ada County $9,875
- Bonneville County $23,241
- Kootenai County $7,619
- Canyon County $5,143
- Bannock County $8,222
- Twin Falls County $5,993
- Bonner County $8,322
- Nez Perce County $8,968
- Bingham County $7,070
- Latah County $8,096
- Elmore County $9,877
- Blaine County $8,163
- Payette County $6,925
- Madison County $3,480
- Jefferson County $5,160
- Idaho County $9,645
- Cassia County $5,486
- Minidoka County $5,530
- Valley County $9,563
- Boundary County $8,587
- Benewah County $11,049
- Lemhi County $13,591
- Caribou County $15,094
- Jerome County $4,146
- Fremont County $7,643
- Shoshone County $7,622
- Washington County $9,243
- Clearwater County $11,154
- Gooding County $5,841
- Boise County $10,813
- Lewis County $24,262
- Franklin County $4,660
- Owyhee County $5,699
- Bear Lake County $10,145
- Custer County $12,221
- Teton County $4,048
- Power County $6,375
- Adams County $9,206
- Lincoln County $6,884
- Butte County $13,604
- Oneida County $7,416
- Camas County $7,678
- Clark County $5,955
Per-resident rate, FY2025. All counties in Idaho.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Gem County, Idaho?
$157M in award obligations in FY2025 and $717M since FY2022, counting awards whose primary place of performance is in the county. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
How much federal spending per person is that?
$7,222 per resident in FY2025 (population 21,773), against $11,271 for Idaho and $15,158 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 Gem County, Idaho?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2022: Yellowstone Electric Co ($7.8M), Transportation, Idaho Department of ($3.0M), Optical Coating Solutions, Inc. ($1.2M), LG Forestry, LLC ($1.1M) and Price Contracting Inc ($1.1M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Gem County, Idaho?
Social Security Administration ($461M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($72M), Department of the Interior ($9.5M), Department of Agriculture ($9.0M) and Railroad Retirement Board ($2.9M), 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.