States › North Dakota › Benson County
County · North Dakota · FIPS 38005
Federal spending in Benson County, ND
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.
In FY2026, $125M in federal awards named Benson County, North Dakota, as the primary place of performance, $21,734 per resident.
That is below the North Dakota rate of $119,018 per resident (18% of it) and above the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 5 of 53 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 69% direct payments, 22% grants, 9% other assistance.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $453M.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of the Interior ($127M), Department of Agriculture ($119M) and Social Security Administration ($93M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $143K
- Grants $27M
- Direct payments $87M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $2K
- Other assistance $11M
| Per resident | This county | North Dakota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $21,734 | $119,018 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $25 | $1,010 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $4,760 | $4,207 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $15,045 | $113,479 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $0 | −$4 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $1,903 | $326 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 5 of 53 in state · 97 of 3,144 US | 1 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 | Spirit Lake Tribe | 10 | $22M | 39% |
| 2 | Cankdeska Cikana Community College | 4 | $10.0M | 18% |
| 3 | Minnewaukan Public School | 4 | $7.0M | 13% |
| 4 | Fort Totten Public School | 4 | $6.6M | 12% |
| 5 | North Dakota Department of Transportation | 1 | $2.9M | 5% |
| 6 | Gei Consultants Inc | 1 | $2.8M | 5% |
| 7 | Asphalt Surface Technologies Corp | 1 | $1.2M | 2% |
| 8 | Oberon School District 16 | 1 | $1.1M | 2% |
A further $2.5M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cankdeska Cikana Community College | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.4M | 27 Jan 2026 | USAspending |
| Spirit Lake Tribe | Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $3.4M | 5 Mar 2025 | USAspending |
| Cankdeska Cikana Community College | Department of Education | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.3M | 16 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| North Dakota Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.9M | 25 Feb 2026 | USAspending |
| Gei Consultants Inc | Department of the InteriorBureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education | ContractDelivery Order | $2.8M | 20 Jul 2023 | USAspending |
| Spirit Lake Tribe | Department of AgricultureFood and Nutrition Service | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.8M | 31 Oct 2022 | USAspending |
| Spirit Lake Tribe | Department of AgricultureFood and Nutrition Service | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.5M | 18 Dec 2025 | USAspending |
| Spirit Lake Tribe | Department of AgricultureFood and Nutrition Service | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.1M | 20 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| Cankdeska Cikana Community College | Department of the InteriorBureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.0M | 18 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Minnewaukan Public School | Department of Education | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.0M | 19 Nov 2025 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota's at-large congressional district | 100% | $95B | $122,567 |
Other counties in North Dakota
- Cass County $432,265
- Burleigh County $8,761
- Grand Forks County $9,087
- Ward County $7,076
- Stutsman County $9,936
- Stark County $5,798
- Morton County $5,639
- Rolette County $15,744
- Williams County $3,864
- Richland County $7,744
- Pembina County $19,408
- Ramsey County $9,993
- McLean County $11,388
- Barnes County $9,781
- Traill County $12,764
- McKenzie County $6,644
- Mercer County $11,528
- Sioux County $26,402
- Dunn County $21,510
- Walsh County $8,258
- Mountrail County $8,035
- Bottineau County $11,858
- Cavalier County $20,538
- Oliver County $33,305
- Ransom County $9,637
- McHenry County $10,372
- Dickey County $8,618
- Sargent County $11,307
- Billings County $37,251
- Wells County $10,410
- Pierce County $9,989
- LaMoure County $9,236
- Nelson County $12,285
- Bowman County $13,016
- Emmons County $11,059
- Eddy County $15,025
- Towner County $15,066
- Grant County $13,906
- Burke County $14,317
- Divide County $13,924
- Griggs County $12,660
- McIntosh County $10,668
- Foster County $8,115
- Kidder County $10,289
- Hettinger County $9,783
- Adams County $10,683
- Renville County $10,354
- Steele County $12,167
- Golden Valley County $10,381
- Logan County $6,901
- Sheridan County $8,822
- Slope County $14,831
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in North Dakota.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Benson County, North Dakota?
$125M in award obligations in FY2026 and $453M 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?
$21,734 per resident in FY2026 (population 5,759), against $119,018 for North Dakota 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 Benson County, North Dakota?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Spirit Lake Tribe ($22M), Cankdeska Cikana Community College ($10.0M), Minnewaukan Public School ($7.0M), Fort Totten Public School ($6.6M) and North Dakota Department of Transportation ($2.9M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Benson County, North Dakota?
Department of the Interior ($127M), Department of Agriculture ($119M), Social Security Administration ($93M), Department of Education ($35M) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($17M), 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.