States › Maine › Penobscot County
County · Maine · FIPS 23019
Federal spending in Penobscot County, ME
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 $1.5B for work and payments in Penobscot County, Maine, in FY2026, or $9,476 per resident.
That is below the Maine rate of $14,910 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 7 of 16 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 74% direct payments, 24% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $5.7B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($593M) and Department of Defense ($324M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $25M
- Grants $358M
- Direct payments $1.1B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$340K
- Other assistance $4.4M
| Per resident | This county | Maine | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $9,476 | $14,910 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $157 | $2,194 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $2,269 | $4,628 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,024 | $8,053 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$2 | $6 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $28 | $29 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 7 of 16 in state · 746 of 3,144 US | 16 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 | University of Maine System | 67 | $303M | 37% |
| 2 | Maine Department of Transportation | 38 | $219M | 27% |
| 3 | City of Bangor | 7 | $69M | 9% |
| 4 | Compotech Inc | 5 | $44M | 5% |
| 5 | Penobscot Indian Nation | 16 | $36M | 4% |
| 6 | Arbor e & T LLC | 1 | $30M | 4% |
| 7 | Penquis C.a.p., Inc. | 3 | $27M | 3% |
| 8 | Bangor Housing Authority | 9 | $25M | 3% |
| 9 | Global Secure Shipping Inc | 2 | $17M | 2% |
| 10 | Town of East Millinocket | 4 | $13M | 2% |
A further $30M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $63M | 19 Aug 2026 | USAspending |
| University of Maine System | Department of CommerceNational Institute of Standards and Technology | GrantProject Grant (B) | $45M | 10 Sep 2026 | USAspending |
| Arbor e & T LLC | Department of LaborOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management | ContractDefinitive Contract | $30M | 22 Mar 2024 | USAspending |
| Maine Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $26M | 3 May 2024 | USAspending |
| Maine Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $25M | 9 Dec 2025 | USAspending |
| Compotech Inc | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $23M | 12 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| University of Maine System | Department of TransportationImmediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $23M | 15 May 2025 | USAspending |
| Penquis C.a.p., Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantProject Grant (B) | $23M | 24 May 2024 | USAspending |
| Maine Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $19M | 10 Nov 2022 | USAspending |
| City of Bangor | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $17M | 5 Apr 2025 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine's 2nd congressional district | 100% | $6.1B | $8,851 |
Other counties in Maine
- Cumberland County $11,304
- Sagadahoc County $64,772
- York County $8,483
- Kennebec County $11,467
- Aroostook County $11,784
- Androscoggin County $6,469
- Hancock County $10,387
- Oxford County $7,964
- Somerset County $8,443
- Knox County $8,574
- Lincoln County $9,118
- Waldo County $8,169
- Washington County $10,442
- Franklin County $8,067
- Piscataquis County $9,317
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Maine.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Penobscot County, Maine?
$1.5B in award obligations in FY2026 and $5.7B 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?
$9,476 per resident in FY2026 (population 157,967), against $14,910 for Maine 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 Penobscot County, Maine?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: University of Maine System ($303M), Maine Department of Transportation ($219M), City of Bangor ($69M), Compotech Inc ($44M) and Penobscot Indian Nation ($36M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Penobscot County, Maine?
Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($593M), Department of Defense ($324M), Department of Transportation ($248M) and Department of Health and Human Services ($175M), 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.