States › South Carolina › Lancaster County
County · South Carolina · FIPS 45057
Federal spending in Lancaster County, SC
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 $667M for work and payments in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in FY2026, or $5,838 per resident.
That is below the South Carolina rate of $24,145 per resident (24% of it) and below the national rate of $14,743; it ranks 40 of 46 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 104% direct payments.
Obligations were down 11% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $2.7B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($2.4B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($300M) and Department of Transportation ($42M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $983K
- Grants $28M
- Direct payments $697M
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$60M
- Other assistance $860K
| Per resident | This county | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $5,838 | $24,145 | $14,743 |
| Contracts | $9 | $1,743 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $247 | $2,553 | $3,526 |
| Direct payments | $6,099 | $19,824 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$525 | −$15 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $8 | $40 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 40 of 46 in state · 2,418 of 3,143 US | 8 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 | South Carolina Department of Transportation | 11 | $34M | 44% |
| 2 | River Song Solar, LLC | 1 | $12M | 15% |
| 3 | Lancaster County First Steps | 1 | $11M | 13% |
| 4 | Lancaster County School District | 2 | $7.9M | 10% |
| 5 | County of Lancaster Administration Building | 3 | $5.5M | 7% |
| 6 | City of Lancaster | 2 | $5.0M | 6% |
| 7 | Brandamar, Inc. | 1 | $1.9M | 2% |
| 8 | Housing Authority of Lancaster Inc | 1 | $1.8M | 2% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Song Solar, LLC | Department of AgricultureRural Utilities Service | LoanDirect Loan (e) | $12Mloan face value | 6 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| Lancaster County First Steps | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $11M | 18 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $6.1M | 23 Jun 2023 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $5.9M | 18 Dec 2023 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $4.8M | 6 Jul 2026 | USAspending |
| Lancaster County School District | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantProject Grant (B) | $4.6M | 4 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Lancaster County School District | Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and Families | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.4M | 5 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| City of Lancaster | Department of CommerceEconomic Development Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.1M | 21 Apr 2024 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.9M | 29 May 2024 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.7M | 16 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina's 5th congressional district | 100% | $4.2B | $5,682 |
Other counties in South Carolina
- Richland County $161,658
- Aiken County $33,626
- Charleston County $9,684
- Horry County $8,404
- Greenville County $5,540
- Berkeley County $8,838
- Lexington County $6,426
- Beaufort County $9,962
- Spartanburg County $5,299
- York County $5,235
- Anderson County $5,998
- Sumter County $10,866
- Dorchester County $5,729
- Florence County $6,224
- Pickens County $6,076
- Oconee County $7,489
- Orangeburg County $6,913
- Georgetown County $8,689
- Kershaw County $7,736
- Greenwood County $6,669
- Laurens County $6,131
- Darlington County $6,689
- Marion County $12,900
- Jasper County $9,367
- Cherokee County $5,145
- Chesterfield County $6,059
- Newberry County $6,709
- Colleton County $6,562
- Clarendon County $7,702
- Williamsburg County $7,428
- Edgefield County $7,289
- Chester County $6,324
- Marlboro County $7,748
- Union County $7,003
- Abbeville County $6,750
- Dillon County $6,034
- Fairfield County $7,897
- Calhoun County $10,444
- Barnwell County $6,255
- Hampton County $6,580
- Saluda County $5,640
- McCormick County $10,785
- Lee County $6,436
- Bamberg County $7,014
- Allendale County $7,983
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in South Carolina.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Lancaster County, South Carolina?
$667M in award obligations in FY2026 and $2.7B 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?
$5,838 per resident in FY2026 (population 114,296), against $24,145 for South Carolina and $14,743 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 Lancaster County, South Carolina?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: South Carolina Department of Transportation ($34M), River Song Solar, LLC ($12M), Lancaster County First Steps ($11M), Lancaster County School District ($7.9M) and County of Lancaster Administration Building ($5.5M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Lancaster County, South Carolina?
Social Security Administration ($2.4B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($300M), Department of Transportation ($42M), Department of Health and Human Services ($31M) and Department of Agriculture ($13M), 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.