States › Massachusetts › Bristol County
County · Massachusetts · FIPS 25005
Federal spending in Bristol County, MA
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.
Bristol County, Massachusetts, received $3.6B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $6,066 for each of its 593,640 residents.
That is below the Massachusetts rate of $14,277 per resident (42% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 13 of 14 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 93% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $15B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($11B), Department of Defense ($1.0B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($960M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $115M
- Grants $145M
- Direct payments $3.3B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $679K
- Other assistance $3.6M
| Per resident | This county | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $6,066 | $14,277 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $194 | $2,393 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $244 | $4,038 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $5,621 | $7,829 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $1 | $3 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $6 | $16 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 13 of 14 in state · 2,710 of 3,144 US | 18 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 | Massachusetts Department of Transportation | 41 | $474M | 39% |
| 2 | General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | 69 | $417M | 34% |
| 3 | New Bedford Housing Authority | 19 | $50M | 4% |
| 4 | Fall River Housing Authority | 17 | $37M | 3% |
| 5 | Jacobs Project Management Co. | 2 | $34M | 3% |
| 6 | Leachgarner, Inc. | 8 | $27M | 2% |
| 7 | City of Fall River | 10 | $26M | 2% |
| 8 | New Bedford Harbor Development Commission | 1 | $24M | 2% |
| 9 | Buzzards Bay Coalition Inc | 2 | $24M | 2% |
| 10 | Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc. | 2 | $23M | 2% |
A further $85M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $120M | 9 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $74M | 15 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $53M | 29 Dec 2022 | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $46M | 15 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $44M | 29 Jul 2026 | USAspending |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $34M | 30 Jun 2023 | USAspending |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $34M | 30 Jun 2023 | USAspending |
| Jacobs Project Management Co. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $33M | 28 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $30M | 16 Feb 2023 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $27M | 4 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts's 4th congressional district | 64% | $527M | $677 |
| Massachusetts's 9th congressional district | 31% | $4.0B | $5,022 |
| Massachusetts's 8th congressional district | 5% | $2.8B | $3,576 |
Other counties in Massachusetts
- Middlesex County $15,984
- Suffolk County $14,504
- Essex County $12,450
- Norfolk County $8,400
- Worcester County $6,550
- Plymouth County $8,335
- Barnstable County $15,030
- Hampden County $6,952
- Berkshire County $14,015
- Hampshire County $8,149
- Franklin County $8,057
- Dukes County $6,999
- Nantucket County $4,178
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Massachusetts.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Bristol County, Massachusetts?
$3.6B in award obligations in FY2026 and $15B 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?
$6,066 per resident in FY2026 (population 593,640), against $14,277 for Massachusetts 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 Bristol County, Massachusetts?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Massachusetts Department of Transportation ($474M), General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. ($417M), New Bedford Housing Authority ($50M), Fall River Housing Authority ($37M) and Jacobs Project Management Co. ($34M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Bristol County, Massachusetts?
Social Security Administration ($11B), Department of Defense ($1.0B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($960M), Department of Transportation ($597M) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($585M), 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.