States › Maryland › Howard County
County · Maryland · FIPS 24027
Federal spending in Howard County, MD
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.
Howard County, Maryland, received $7.5B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $22,013 for each of its 339,183 residents.
That is above the Maryland rate of $15,201 per resident and above the national rate of $14,743; it ranks 2 of 24 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 51% contracts, 48% direct payments.
Obligations were down 13% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $32B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of Defense ($8.7B), Department of Health and Human Services ($7.0B) and Social Security Administration ($4.9B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $3.8B
- Grants $34M
- Direct payments $3.6B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$3.0M
- Other assistance $1.9M
| Per resident | This county | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $22,013 | $15,201 | $14,743 |
| Contracts | $11,296 | $5,705 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $99 | $3,710 | $3,526 |
| Direct payments | $10,621 | $5,781 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$9 | −$4 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $6 | $9 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 2 of 24 in state · 70 of 3,143 US | 15 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 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | 743 | $4.4B | 45% |
| 2 | Power Forward Communities, Inc | 1 | $2.0B | 20% |
| 3 | Rohde & Schwarz Usa, Inc. | 20 | $553M | 6% |
| 4 | Frequentis Usa, Inc | 4 | $464M | 5% |
| 5 | International Business Machines Corporation | 1 | $158M | 2% |
| 6 | Enlighten IT Consulting LLC | 4 | $151M | 2% |
| 7 | Teledyne Flir Defense, LLC | 7 | $134M | 1% |
| 8 | Solipsys Corporation | 20 | $113M | 1% |
| 9 | Amergis Healthcare Staffing, Inc. | 1 | $97M | 1% |
| 10 | Planned Systems International Inc | 3 | $90M | 1% |
A further $1.7B 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Forward Communities, Inc | Environmental Protection Agency | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.0B | 8 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $625M | 19 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $625M | 19 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| Rohde & Schwarz Usa, Inc. | Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration | ContractDelivery Order | $390M | 19 Mar 2026 | USAspending |
| Frequentis Usa, Inc | Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration | ContractDefinitive Contract | $282M | 13 May 2025 | USAspending |
| The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | Department of DefenseDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency | ContractDelivery Order | $231M | 14 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $166M | 21 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $166M | 21 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $165M | 20 Jul 2023 | USAspending |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | ContractDelivery Order | $158M | 16 May 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland's 3rd congressional district | 100% | $9.6B | $12,490 |
Other counties in Maryland
- Montgomery County $13,983
- Prince George's County $8,328
- Anne Arundel County $13,297
- Baltimore County $9,087
- Baltimore city $7,265
- St. Mary's County $29,704
- Harford County $12,150
- Frederick County $7,469
- Charles County $6,763
- Washington County $6,747
- Carroll County $5,748
- Cecil County $5,783
- Calvert County $6,428
- Wicomico County $5,394
- Worcester County $8,609
- Allegany County $6,674
- Talbot County $10,687
- Queen Anne's County $7,052
- Dorchester County $10,661
- Garrett County $7,241
- Caroline County $5,776
- Somerset County $6,199
- Kent County $7,665
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Maryland.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Howard County, Maryland?
$7.5B in award obligations in FY2026 and $32B 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?
$22,013 per resident in FY2026 (population 339,183), against $15,201 for Maryland 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 Howard County, Maryland?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC ($4.4B), Power Forward Communities, Inc ($2.0B), Rohde & Schwarz Usa, Inc. ($553M), Frequentis Usa, Inc ($464M) and International Business Machines Corporation ($158M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Howard County, Maryland?
Department of Defense ($8.7B), Department of Health and Human Services ($7.0B), Social Security Administration ($4.9B), Environmental Protection Agency ($2.0B) and Department of Homeland Security ($2.0B), 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.