States › Missouri › Cole County
County · Missouri · FIPS 29051
Federal spending in Cole County, MO
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.
Cole County, Missouri, received $1.8B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $22,607 for each of its 77,908 residents.
That is above the Missouri rate of $14,595 per resident and above the national rate of $14,743; it ranks 2 of 115 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 75% grants, 25% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $8.4B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of Education ($3.9B), Department of Commerce ($1.8B) and Social Security Administration ($1.5B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $5.9M
- Grants $1.3B
- Direct payments $434M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $756K
- Other assistance $796K
| Per resident | This county | Missouri | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $22,607 | $14,595 | $14,743 |
| Contracts | $76 | $1,944 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $16,938 | $3,463 | $3,526 |
| Direct payments | $5,573 | $9,165 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $10 | $0 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $10 | $23 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 2 of 115 in state · 68 of 3,143 US | 17 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 | Elementary & Secondary Education Missouri Department of | 57 | $2.3B | 44% |
| 2 | Department of Economic Development Missouri | 11 | $1.9B | 35% |
| 3 | Public Safety, Missouri Department of | 26 | $351M | 7% |
| 4 | Elementary and Secondary Education, Missouri Department of | 4 | $293M | 6% |
| 5 | Department of Public Safety Missouri | 23 | $182M | 3% |
| 6 | Central Electric Power Coop | 1 | $120M | 2% |
| 7 | Missouri Department of Transportation | 18 | $57M | 1% |
| 8 | Department of Social Services Misso | 4 | $42M | 1% |
| 9 | Mental Health, Missouri Department of | 19 | $31M | 1% |
| 10 | Lincoln University | 7 | $31M | 1% |
Largest awards performed in the county
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri's 3rd congressional district | 100% | $5.6B | $7,173 |
Other counties in Missouri
- St. Louis city $72,031
- St. Louis County $14,453
- Jackson County $9,214
- St. Charles County $5,389
- Greene County $5,554
- Clay County $5,000
- Jefferson County $5,643
- Boone County $5,218
- Platte County $7,532
- Jasper County $5,461
- Pulaski County $12,250
- Franklin County $6,150
- Cass County $5,272
- Christian County $5,216
- Cape Girardeau County $5,850
- Buchanan County $5,544
- Johnson County $8,146
- St. Francois County $6,300
- Callaway County $8,068
- Taney County $6,452
- Lincoln County $5,447
- Camden County $8,140
- Newton County $5,277
- Howell County $7,665
- Phelps County $6,440
- Butler County $6,630
- Scott County $6,780
- Stone County $7,679
- Pettis County $5,500
- Laclede County $6,174
- Lawrence County $5,682
- Warren County $5,534
- Webster County $5,000
- Barry County $5,929
- Lafayette County $5,910
- Stoddard County $6,726
- Benton County $9,178
- Henry County $7,896
- Dunklin County $6,611
- Marion County $6,109
- Polk County $5,107
- Texas County $6,077
- Audrain County $6,242
- Morgan County $6,627
- Crawford County $6,415
- Clinton County $6,773
- Miller County $5,431
- Adair County $5,438
- Dent County $9,516
- Perry County $7,180
- Washington County $5,674
- Randolph County $5,506
- Ray County $5,565
- Pike County $7,012
- Vernon County $6,304
- Saline County $5,323
- Wright County $6,067
- Cooper County $6,812
- McDonald County $4,804
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Missouri.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Cole County, Missouri?
$1.8B in award obligations in FY2026 and $8.4B 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?
$22,607 per resident in FY2026 (population 77,908), against $14,595 for Missouri 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 Cole County, Missouri?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Elementary & Secondary Education Missouri Department of ($2.3B), Department of Economic Development Missouri ($1.9B), Public Safety, Missouri Department of ($351M), Elementary and Secondary Education, Missouri Department of ($293M) and Department of Public Safety Missouri ($182M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Cole County, Missouri?
Department of Education ($3.9B), Department of Commerce ($1.8B), Social Security Administration ($1.5B), Department of Homeland Security ($1.1B) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($243M), 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.