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County · Massachusetts · FIPS 25009
Federal spending in Essex 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.
Essex County, Massachusetts, received $10B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $12,450 for each of its 826,653 residents.
That is in line with the Massachusetts rate of $14,277 per resident and in line with the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 5 of 14 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 52% contracts, 45% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $41B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of Defense ($19B), Social Security Administration ($14B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.1B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $5.4B
- Grants $275M
- Direct payments $4.6B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$2.2M
- Other assistance $5.8M
| Per resident | This county | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $12,450 | $14,277 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $6,527 | $2,393 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $332 | $4,038 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $5,587 | $7,829 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$3 | $3 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $7 | $16 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 5 of 14 in state · 310 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 | Raytheon Company | 199 | $20B | 69% |
| 2 | General Electric Company | 290 | $7.6B | 26% |
| 3 | Massachusetts Department of Transportation | 52 | $661M | 2% |
| 4 | Raytheon Company | 6 | $211M | 1% |
| 5 | F.H. Cann & Associates, Inc. | 2 | $133M | 0% |
| 6 | Physical Sciences Inc. | 79 | $125M | 0% |
| 7 | American Renal Associates LLC | 13 | $104M | 0% |
| 8 | Science Applications International Corporation | 3 | $60M | 0% |
| 9 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | 4 | $58M | 0% |
| 10 | 6K Inc. | 3 | $53M | 0% |
A further $19M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $2.9B | 31 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $2.9B | 31 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $2.0B | 29 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $2.0B | 29 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $1.2B | 28 Mar 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $1.2B | 28 Mar 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $842M | 19 Dec 2025 | USAspending |
| General Electric Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDefinitive Contract | $673M | 26 Apr 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $664M | 13 Oct 2023 | USAspending |
| Raytheon Company | Department of DefenseDefense Logistics Agency | ContractDelivery Order | $650M | 31 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts's 6th congressional district | 87% | $12B | $15,651 |
| Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district | 13% | $2.3B | $2,942 |
Other counties in Massachusetts
- Middlesex County $15,984
- Suffolk County $14,504
- Norfolk County $8,400
- Worcester County $6,550
- Plymouth County $8,335
- Bristol County $6,066
- 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 Essex County, Massachusetts?
$10B in award obligations in FY2026 and $41B 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?
$12,450 per resident in FY2026 (population 826,653), 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 Essex County, Massachusetts?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Raytheon Company ($20B), General Electric Company ($7.6B), Massachusetts Department of Transportation ($661M), Raytheon Company ($211M) and F.H. Cann & Associates, Inc. ($133M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Essex County, Massachusetts?
Department of Defense ($19B), Social Security Administration ($14B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.1B), Department of Housing and Urban Development ($902M) and Department of Transportation ($788M), 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.