States › South Carolina › Richland County
County · South Carolina · FIPS 45079
Federal spending in Richland 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 $77B for work and payments in Richland County, South Carolina, in FY2026, or $177,423 per resident.
That is above the South Carolina rate of $24,145 per resident (7.3 times it) and above the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 1 of 46 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 97% direct payments.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $304B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of Health and Human Services ($272B), Social Security Administration ($6.8B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($3.2B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $776M
- Grants $1.6B
- Direct payments $75B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $1.3M
- Other assistance $6.5M
| Per resident | This county | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $177,423 | $24,145 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $1,785 | $1,743 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $3,736 | $2,553 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $171,884 | $19,824 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $3 | −$15 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $15 | $40 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 1 of 46 in state · 9 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 | South Carolina Department of Education | 55 | $2.2B | 37% |
| 2 | Adjutant General South Carolina | 13 | $634M | 11% |
| 3 | Companion Data Services LLC | 2 | $630M | 11% |
| 4 | Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc | 4 | $601M | 10% |
| 5 | Executive Office of the State of South Carolina | 1 | $552M | 9% |
| 6 | Palmetto Gba, LLC | 6 | $343M | 6% |
| 7 | South Carolina Commission for Blind | 9 | $254M | 4% |
| 8 | University of South Carolina | 89 | $230M | 4% |
| 9 | FN America LLC | 39 | $194M | 3% |
| 10 | South Carolina Department of Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services | 11 | $177M | 3% |
A further $54M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina's 6th congressional district | 54% | $5.9B | $8,035 |
| South Carolina's 2nd congressional district | 46% | $9.2B | $12,316 |
Other counties in South Carolina
- 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
- Pickens County $6,895
- 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 Richland County, South Carolina?
$77B in award obligations in FY2026 and $304B 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?
$177,423 per resident in FY2026 (population 434,956), 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 Richland County, South Carolina?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: South Carolina Department of Education ($2.2B), Adjutant General South Carolina ($634M), Companion Data Services LLC ($630M), Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc ($601M) and Executive Office of the State of South Carolina ($552M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Richland County, South Carolina?
Department of Health and Human Services ($272B), Social Security Administration ($6.8B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($3.2B), Department of Education ($3.1B) and Department of Defense ($1.5B), 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.