States › New Jersey › Mercer County
County · New Jersey · FIPS 34021
Federal spending in Mercer County, NJ
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, $4.7B in federal awards named Mercer County, New Jersey, as the primary place of performance, $11,818 per resident.
That is in line with the New Jersey rate of $10,032 per resident and in line with the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 3 of 21 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 50% direct payments, 45% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $21B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($6.5B), Department of Education ($5.0B) and Department of Homeland Security ($3.5B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $257M
- Grants $2.1B
- Direct payments $2.3B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$11M
- Other assistance $3.2M
| Per resident | This county | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $11,818 | $10,032 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $644 | $967 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $5,312 | $3,119 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $5,882 | $5,957 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$28 | −$20 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $8 | $9 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 3 of 21 in state · 355 of 3,144 US | 48 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 | Education, New Jersey Department of | 50 | $3.7B | 50% |
| 2 | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection | 30 | $780M | 10% |
| 3 | Human Services, New Jersey Department of | 25 | $644M | 9% |
| 4 | Law & Public Safety, New Jersey Department of | 80 | $575M | 8% |
| 5 | Community Affairs, New Jersey DEPT of | 23 | $500M | 7% |
| 6 | New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness | 16 | $311M | 4% |
| 7 | New Jersey Department of Treasury | 3 | $283M | 4% |
| 8 | Labor and Workforce Development, New Jersey Department of | 5 | $266M | 4% |
| 9 | The Trustees of Princeton University | 62 | $233M | 3% |
| 10 | Transportation, New Jersey DEPT of | 45 | $187M | 2% |
Largest awards performed in the county
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey's 12th congressional district | 56% | $2.8B | $3,531 |
| New Jersey's 3rd congressional district | 44% | $7.1B | $9,071 |
Other counties in New Jersey
- Bergen County $6,847
- Essex County $7,194
- Burlington County $13,314
- Hudson County $6,990
- Middlesex County $5,697
- Monmouth County $7,601
- Ocean County $7,040
- Morris County $6,987
- Camden County $6,616
- Passaic County $5,440
- Union County $4,441
- Somerset County $6,580
- Atlantic County $8,112
- Gloucester County $6,190
- Cape May County $14,544
- Sussex County $6,768
- Cumberland County $6,280
- Hunterdon County $6,935
- Warren County $6,874
- Salem County $7,486
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in New Jersey.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Mercer County, New Jersey?
$4.7B in award obligations in FY2026 and $21B 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?
$11,818 per resident in FY2026 (population 399,289), against $10,032 for New Jersey 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 Mercer County, New Jersey?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Education, New Jersey Department of ($3.7B), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ($780M), Human Services, New Jersey Department of ($644M), Law & Public Safety, New Jersey Department of ($575M) and Community Affairs, New Jersey DEPT of ($500M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Mercer County, New Jersey?
Social Security Administration ($6.5B), Department of Education ($5.0B), Department of Homeland Security ($3.5B), Department of Housing and Urban Development ($2.3B) and Department of Health and Human Services ($952M), 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.