States › South Carolina › Pickens County
County · South Carolina · FIPS 45077
Federal spending in Pickens 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 $960M for work and payments in Pickens County, South Carolina, in FY2026, or $6,895 per resident.
That is below the South Carolina rate of $24,145 per resident (29% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 35 of 46 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 87% direct payments, 11% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $3.9B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($2.6B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($330M) and Department of Defense ($176M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $18M
- Grants $108M
- Direct payments $832M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $317K
- Other assistance $1.2M
| Per resident | This county | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $6,895 | $24,145 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $130 | $1,743 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $779 | $2,553 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $5,975 | $19,824 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $2 | −$15 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $9 | $40 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 35 of 46 in state · 2,132 of 3,144 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 | Clemson University | 69 | $207M | 42% |
| 2 | Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Inc | 1 | $155M | 31% |
| 3 | South Carolina Department of Transportation | 14 | $72M | 15% |
| 4 | Champion Aerospace LLC | 5 | $46M | 9% |
| 5 | Pickens Regional Joint Water System | 1 | $4.0M | 1% |
| 6 | County of Pickens | 1 | $3.5M | 1% |
| 7 | City of Clemson | 1 | $2.6M | 1% |
| 8 | Ses Constructors LLC | 1 | $2.5M | 1% |
| 9 | Blotting Innovations, Inc | 1 | $2.1M | 0% |
| 10 | National Audubon Society, Inc | 1 | $1.2M | 0% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Inc | Department of AgricultureRural Utilities Service | LoanDirect Loan (e) | $155Mloan face value | 20 Feb 2024 | USAspending |
| Champion Aerospace LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDefinitive Contract | $34M | 29 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $28M | 13 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| Clemson University | National Science Foundation | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $17M | 5 May 2023 | USAspending |
| Clemson University | Department of CommerceEconomic Development Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $13M | 6 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $11M | 18 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| Clemson University | Department of TransportationImmediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation | GrantProject Grant (B) | $11M | 3 Apr 2023 | USAspending |
| Clemson University | Department of AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture | GrantProject Grant (B) | $10M | 23 Jan 2023 | USAspending |
| South Carolina Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $7.8M | 15 May 2025 | USAspending |
| Champion Aerospace LLC | Department of DefenseDefense Logistics Agency | ContractDefinitive Contract | $7.0M | 2 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina's 3rd congressional district | 100% | $5.0B | $6,808 |
Other counties in South Carolina
- Richland County $177,423
- Aiken County $34,594
- Charleston County $10,604
- Horry County $9,331
- Greenville County $6,154
- Berkeley County $10,047
- Lexington County $7,235
- Spartanburg County $5,904
- Beaufort County $10,888
- York County $5,751
- Anderson County $6,666
- Sumter County $11,770
- Dorchester County $6,285
- Florence County $6,835
- Lancaster County $6,407
- Oconee County $8,261
- Orangeburg County $8,214
- Georgetown County $9,718
- Kershaw County $8,544
- Greenwood County $7,432
- Jasper County $13,182
- Laurens County $6,724
- Darlington County $7,515
- Clarendon County $13,783
- Marion County $13,550
- Cherokee County $5,706
- Chesterfield County $6,769
- Colleton County $7,474
- Newberry County $7,354
- Williamsburg County $8,302
- Edgefield County $8,028
- Chester County $7,049
- Marlboro County $8,853
- Union County $7,717
- Calhoun County $14,576
- Dillon County $7,047
- Abbeville County $7,603
- Fairfield County $8,758
- Barnwell County $7,040
- Hampton County $7,255
- Saluda County $6,247
- McCormick County $12,011
- Lee County $7,297
- Bamberg County $8,663
- Allendale County $8,894
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in South Carolina.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Pickens County, South Carolina?
$960M in award obligations in FY2026 and $3.9B 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?
$6,895 per resident in FY2026 (population 139,198), against $24,145 for South Carolina 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 Pickens County, South Carolina?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Clemson University ($207M), Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Inc ($155M), South Carolina Department of Transportation ($72M), Champion Aerospace LLC ($46M) and Pickens Regional Joint Water System ($4.0M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Pickens County, South Carolina?
Social Security Administration ($2.6B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($330M), Department of Defense ($176M), National Science Foundation ($135M) and Department of Education ($116M), 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.