States › Rhode Island › Providence County
County · Rhode Island · FIPS 44007
Federal spending in Providence County, RI
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.
Providence County, Rhode Island, received $6.0B in federal award obligations in FY2026: $8,822 for each of its 678,179 residents.
That is below the Rhode Island rate of $13,624 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 4 of 5 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 83% direct payments, 15% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $24B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($11B), Department of Health and Human Services ($6.4B) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($1.4B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $116M
- Grants $906M
- Direct payments $5.0B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$17M
- Other assistance $6.6M
| Per resident | This county | Rhode Island | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,822 | $13,624 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $171 | $762 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $1,336 | $4,868 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,331 | $7,997 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$25 | −$19 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $10 | $15 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 4 of 5 in state · 962 of 3,144 US | 19 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 | RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education | 46 | $594M | 28% |
| 2 | Brown University | 93 | $206M | 10% |
| 3 | Rhode Island Commerce Corp | 2 | $111M | 5% |
| 4 | Providence Housing Authority | 35 | $104M | 5% |
| 5 | Rhode Island DOT | 23 | $87M | 4% |
| 6 | American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry | 2 | $61M | 3% |
| 7 | Rhode Island Hospital | 30 | $57M | 3% |
| 8 | Human Services Rhode Island Department of | 4 | $53M | 3% |
| 9 | Service Members Assistance Fund | 17 | $51M | 2% |
| 10 | RI DEPT. of Behavioral Healthcare Devel | 7 | $50M | 2% |
A further $727M went to recipients not shown: individuals, aggregated records and names USAspending withholds.
Largest awards performed in the county
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district | 66% | $3.6B | $6,628 |
| Rhode Island's 1st congressional district | 35% | $2.2B | $4,054 |
Other counties in Rhode Island
- Kent County $10,672
- Newport County $15,221
- Washington County $9,595
- Bristol County $7,633
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Rhode Island.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Providence County, Rhode Island?
$6.0B in award obligations in FY2026 and $24B 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?
$8,822 per resident in FY2026 (population 678,179), against $13,624 for Rhode Island 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 Providence County, Rhode Island?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ($594M), Brown University ($206M), Rhode Island Commerce Corp ($111M), Providence Housing Authority ($104M) and Rhode Island DOT ($87M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Providence County, Rhode Island?
Social Security Administration ($11B), Department of Health and Human Services ($6.4B), Department of Housing and Urban Development ($1.4B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.1B) and Department of Transportation ($1.1B), 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.