States › North Carolina › Caldwell County
County · North Carolina · FIPS 37027
Federal spending in Caldwell County, NC
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 $499M for work and payments in Caldwell County, North Carolina, in FY2026, or $6,150 per resident.
That is below the North Carolina rate of $11,050 per resident and below the national rate of $14,743; it ranks 74 of 100 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 96% direct payments.
Obligations were down 14% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $2.1B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($1.8B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($206M) and Department of Defense ($41M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $3.1M
- Grants $14M
- Direct payments $480M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $856K
- Other assistance $809K
| Per resident | This county | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $6,150 | $11,050 | $14,743 |
| Contracts | $38 | $459 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $176 | $4,010 | $3,526 |
| Direct payments | $5,916 | $6,546 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $11 | $1 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $10 | $35 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 74 of 100 in state · 2,148 of 3,143 US | 40 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 | Transportation North Carolina Department | 4 | $10M | 68% |
| 2 | Carolina Land and Lakes RC-D, Inc. | 1 | $2.5M | 16% |
| 3 | City of Lenoir | 2 | $2.4M | 16% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $6.1M | 2 Jan 2026 | USAspending |
| Carolina Land and Lakes RC-D, Inc. | Department of AgricultureForest Service | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.5M | 18 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.6M | 24 Apr 2026 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.3M | 20 May 2026 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $1.3M | 8 Nov 2024 | USAspending |
| City of Lenoir | Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAssistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.2M | 25 Oct 2022 | USAspending |
| City of Lenoir | Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAssistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.2M | 13 Jul 2023 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina's 5th congressional district | 100% | $3.3B | $4,467 |
Other counties in North Carolina
- Wake County $7,302
- Durham County $16,161
- Mecklenburg County $3,900
- Cumberland County $10,730
- Guilford County $5,883
- Forsyth County $6,210
- Buncombe County $7,683
- Onslow County $9,567
- Brunswick County $10,395
- New Hanover County $7,184
- Orange County $9,187
- Haywood County $21,534
- Gaston County $5,456
- Johnston County $5,164
- Iredell County $5,942
- Henderson County $9,610
- Union County $4,239
- Cabarrus County $4,335
- Craven County $10,191
- Catawba County $6,258
- Pitt County $5,553
- Davidson County $5,584
- Rowan County $6,419
- Moore County $8,768
- Alamance County $5,060
- Randolph County $5,601
- Robeson County $6,891
- Wayne County $6,739
- Harnett County $5,309
- Yancey County $38,865
- Rockingham County $7,113
- Nash County $6,594
- Cleveland County $6,205
- Rutherford County $9,138
- Carteret County $8,422
- Chatham County $6,824
- Lincoln County $5,569
- Burke County $6,070
- Wilson County $6,584
- Pasquotank County $12,484
- Lee County $6,996
- Dare County $12,763
- Pender County $6,353
- Wilkes County $6,654
- Surry County $5,898
- Hoke County $7,485
- Franklin County $5,091
- Lenoir County $7,238
- Beaufort County $8,812
- Stanly County $5,636
- Columbus County $7,383
- Halifax County $7,675
- Sampson County $5,797
- Granville County $5,691
- McDowell County $7,620
- Richmond County $7,979
- Edgecombe County $6,670
- Duplin County $6,224
- Stokes County $6,789
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in North Carolina.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Caldwell County, North Carolina?
$499M in award obligations in FY2026 and $2.1B 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?
$6,150 per resident in FY2026 (population 81,105), against $11,050 for North Carolina 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 Caldwell County, North Carolina?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Transportation North Carolina Department ($10M), Carolina Land and Lakes RC-D, Inc. ($2.5M) and City of Lenoir ($2.4M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Caldwell County, North Carolina?
Social Security Administration ($1.8B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($206M), Department of Defense ($41M), Department of Transportation ($36M) and Department of Education ($27M), 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.