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County · Rhode Island · FIPS 44009
Federal spending in Washington 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.
Federal agencies obligated $1.2B for work and payments in Washington County, Rhode Island, in FY2026, or $9,595 per resident.
That is below the Rhode Island rate of $13,624 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 3 of 5 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 82% direct payments, 13% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $5.0B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($252M) and Agency for International Development ($211M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $65M
- Grants $159M
- Direct payments $1.0B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$88K
- Other assistance $2.9M
| Per resident | This county | Rhode Island | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $9,595 | $13,624 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $500 | $762 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $1,225 | $4,868 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,848 | $7,997 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$1 | −$19 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $22 | $15 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 3 of 5 in state · 706 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 | University of Rhode Island | 58 | $175M | 25% |
| 2 | Edesia, Inc. | 51 | $151M | 22% |
| 3 | Kairos Power LLC | 1 | $135M | 20% |
| 4 | Rhode Island Airport Corp | 8 | $33M | 5% |
| 5 | Weston-Ea JV | 1 | $21M | 3% |
| 6 | Ea Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC | 2 | $21M | 3% |
| 7 | Ametek SCP Inc | 10 | $17M | 3% |
| 8 | Quonset Development Corp | 2 | $15M | 2% |
| 9 | Natural Resources Rhode Island Bureau of | 8 | $15M | 2% |
| 10 | Rhode Island DOT | 7 | $14M | 2% |
A further $90M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kairos Power LLC | Department of Energy | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $135M | 12 Feb 2024 | USAspending |
| University of Rhode Island | Department of CommerceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $52M | 15 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Weston-Ea JV | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $21M | 7 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $17M | 24 Jul 2023 | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $14M | 4 Aug 2023 | USAspending |
| Rhode Island Airport Corp | Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $13M | 13 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| University of Rhode Island | Department of CommerceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $12M | 14 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Quonset Development Corp | Department of TransportationMaritime Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $11M | 27 Dec 2023 | USAspending |
| Ea Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $10M | 27 Feb 2023 | USAspending |
| Ea Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $10M | 29 Jun 2026 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district | 100% | $3.6B | $6,628 |
Other counties in Rhode Island
- Providence County $8,822
- Kent County $10,672
- Newport County $15,221
- Bristol County $7,633
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Rhode Island.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Washington County, Rhode Island?
$1.2B in award obligations in FY2026 and $5.0B 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?
$9,595 per resident in FY2026 (population 129,795), 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 Washington County, Rhode Island?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: University of Rhode Island ($175M), Edesia, Inc. ($151M), Kairos Power LLC ($135M), Rhode Island Airport Corp ($33M) and Weston-Ea JV ($21M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Washington County, Rhode Island?
Social Security Administration ($3.2B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($252M), Agency for International Development ($211M), Department of Transportation ($203M) and Department of Commerce ($162M), 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.