States › North Carolina › Columbus County
County · North Carolina · FIPS 37047
Federal spending in Columbus 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.
Columbus County, North Carolina, received $411M in federal award obligations in FY2026: $8,135 for each of its 50,487 residents.
That is below the North Carolina rate of $11,050 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 44 of 100 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 92% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $1.6B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($1.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($183M) and Department of Transportation ($64M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $89K
- Grants $32M
- Direct payments $377M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $130K
- Other assistance $1.9M
| Per resident | This county | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,135 | $11,050 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $2 | $459 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $628 | $4,010 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,465 | $6,546 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $3 | $1 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $38 | $35 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 44 of 100 in state · 1,282 of 3,144 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 | 5 | $50M | 93% |
| 2 | Portus Services LLC | 1 | $1.4M | 3% |
| 3 | Gale Construction Company of Illinois | 1 | $1.3M | 2% |
| 4 | Volunteers of America of the Carolinas, Inc. | 1 | $1.1M | 2% |
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) | $28M | 22 Feb 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $12M | 25 Jun 2025 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $7.8M | 18 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $1.8M | 21 Sep 2026 | USAspending |
| Portus Services LLC | Department of DefenseUSTRANSCOM | ContractDelivery Order | $1.4M | 28 Oct 2022 | USAspending |
| Gale Construction Company of Illinois | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractPurchase Order | $1.3M | 15 Mar 2023 | USAspending |
| Transportation North Carolina Department | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.3M | 27 Oct 2025 | USAspending |
| Volunteers of America of the Carolinas, Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $1.1M | 22 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina's 7th congressional district | 100% | $5.4B | $7,150 |
Other counties in North Carolina
- Wake County $7,834
- Durham County $17,923
- Mecklenburg County $4,405
- Cumberland County $11,962
- Guilford County $6,551
- Forsyth County $6,962
- Buncombe County $8,669
- Onslow County $10,578
- Brunswick County $11,542
- New Hanover County $7,850
- Haywood County $27,889
- Orange County $10,236
- Gaston County $6,119
- Johnston County $5,736
- Iredell County $6,618
- Henderson County $10,970
- Union County $4,705
- Cabarrus County $4,767
- Catawba County $6,980
- Craven County $11,204
- Pitt County $6,166
- Davidson County $6,163
- Rowan County $7,061
- Moore County $9,651
- Alamance County $5,636
- Robeson County $8,203
- Randolph County $6,159
- Harnett County $6,090
- Wayne County $7,398
- Yancey County $41,290
- Rockingham County $8,088
- Nash County $7,264
- Cleveland County $6,879
- Rutherford County $9,957
- Carteret County $9,270
- Chatham County $7,543
- Lincoln County $6,121
- Burke County $6,691
- Wilson County $7,239
- Pasquotank County $13,601
- Caldwell County $6,927
- Lee County $7,789
- Dare County $13,892
- Pender County $6,976
- Wilkes County $7,411
- Surry County $6,538
- Hoke County $8,238
- Franklin County $5,638
- Lenoir County $7,956
- Beaufort County $9,762
- Stanly County $6,289
- McDowell County $8,941
- Sampson County $6,409
- Halifax County $8,448
- Granville County $6,244
- Richmond County $8,711
- Edgecombe County $7,419
- Duplin County $6,929
- Stokes County $7,458
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in North Carolina.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Columbus County, North Carolina?
$411M in award obligations in FY2026 and $1.6B 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?
$8,135 per resident in FY2026 (population 50,487), against $11,050 for North Carolina 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 Columbus County, North Carolina?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Transportation North Carolina Department ($50M), Portus Services LLC ($1.4M), Gale Construction Company of Illinois ($1.3M) and Volunteers of America of the Carolinas, Inc. ($1.1M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Columbus County, North Carolina?
Social Security Administration ($1.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($183M), Department of Transportation ($64M), Department of Agriculture ($42M) and Department of Education ($15M), 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.