States › New Jersey › Union County
County · New Jersey · FIPS 34039
Federal spending in Union 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.
Union County, New Jersey, received $2.7B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $4,441 for each of its 601,863 residents.
That is below the New Jersey rate of $10,032 per resident (44% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 21 of 21 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 94% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $11B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($8.3B), Department of Defense ($1.7B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($463M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $100M
- Grants $60M
- Direct payments $2.5B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$1.4M
- Other assistance $5.2M
| Per resident | This county | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $4,441 | $10,032 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $167 | $967 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $100 | $3,119 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $4,167 | $5,957 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$2 | −$20 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $9 | $9 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 21 of 21 in state · 3,080 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 | Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | 2 | $158M | 20% |
| 2 | Transportation, New Jersey DEPT of | 31 | $137M | 17% |
| 3 | Donjon Marine Co., LLC | 13 | $117M | 15% |
| 4 | West Grand Ridge Solar, LLC | 1 | $81M | 10% |
| 5 | Seqirus USA Inc | 11 | $72M | 9% |
| 6 | Hansome Energy Systems Inc | 11 | $71M | 9% |
| 7 | Nokia of America Corporation | 1 | $45M | 6% |
| 8 | Housing Authority of City of Elizabe | 15 | $39M | 5% |
| 9 | Aptim Federal Services, LLC | 1 | $34M | 4% |
| 10 | Linde Special Projects LLC | 4 | $31M | 4% |
A further $2.2M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response | ContractDefinitive Contract | $156M | 27 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| West Grand Ridge Solar, LLC | Department of AgricultureRural Utilities Service | LoanDirect Loan (e) | $81Mloan face value | 6 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| Nokia of America Corporation | Department of CommerceNational Institute of Standards and Technology | GrantProject Grant (B) | $45M | 12 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| Donjon Marine Co., LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDelivery Order | $45M | 27 Mar 2024 | USAspending |
| Aptim Federal Services, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $34M | 5 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Hansome Energy Systems Inc | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDefinitive Contract | $31M | 25 Aug 2023 | USAspending |
| Donjon Marine Co., LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $20M | 16 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation, New Jersey DEPT of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $16M | 21 Sep 2026 | USAspending |
| Donjon Marine Co., LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDelivery Order | $16M | 8 May 2024 | USAspending |
| Seqirus USA Inc | Department of DefenseDefense Logistics Agency | ContractDelivery Order | $13M | 8 Mar 2023 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey's 7th congressional district | 57% | $2.2B | $2,816 |
| New Jersey's 10th congressional district | 25% | $1.1B | $1,422 |
| New Jersey's 8th congressional district | 12% | $5.2B | $6,944 |
| New Jersey's 12th congressional district | 6% | $2.8B | $3,531 |
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
- Mercer County $11,818
- Morris County $6,987
- Camden County $6,616
- Passaic County $5,440
- 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 Union County, New Jersey?
$2.7B in award obligations in FY2026 and $11B 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?
$4,441 per resident in FY2026 (population 601,863), 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 Union County, New Jersey?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC ($158M), Transportation, New Jersey DEPT of ($137M), Donjon Marine Co., LLC ($117M), West Grand Ridge Solar, LLC ($81M) and Seqirus USA Inc ($72M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Union County, New Jersey?
Social Security Administration ($8.3B), Department of Defense ($1.7B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($463M), Department of Housing and Urban Development ($407M) and Department of Education ($217M), 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.