States › Vermont › Bennington County
County · Vermont · FIPS 50003
Federal spending in Bennington County, VT
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 $306M for work and payments in Bennington County, Vermont, in FY2026, or $8,359 per resident.
That is below the Vermont rate of $12,929 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 7 of 14 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 90% direct payments, 10% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $1.2B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($930M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($87M) and Department of Transportation ($77M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $2.4M
- Grants $29M
- Direct payments $274M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $15K
- Other assistance $384K
| Per resident | This county | Vermont | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,359 | $12,929 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $65 | $658 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $799 | $5,230 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,484 | $6,990 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $0 | −$1 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $10 | $52 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 7 of 14 in state · 1,152 of 3,144 US | 26 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 | Transportation, Vermont Agency of | 17 | $59M | 74% |
| 2 | Bennington County Industrial Corp | 1 | $5.0M | 6% |
| 3 | Bennington College Corporation | 1 | $3.5M | 4% |
| 4 | Bennington, Town of | 2 | $3.2M | 4% |
| 5 | Vermont Housing and Conservati | 1 | $2.1M | 3% |
| 6 | Southwestern Vermont Health Care Corporation | 1 | $2.0M | 3% |
| 7 | CDM Federal Programs Corporation | 1 | $2.0M | 2% |
| 8 | Shires Housing Inc | 1 | $1.5M | 2% |
| 9 | Southern Vermont Health Care Corporation | 1 | $1.4M | 2% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $26M | 24 Jul 2025 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $5.0M | 22 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Bennington County Industrial Corp | Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAssistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development | GrantProject Grant (B) | $5.0M | 20 Aug 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $3.6M | 7 May 2026 | USAspending |
| Bennington College Corporation | National Science Foundation | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.5M | 26 Aug 2026 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.8M | 29 Nov 2022 | USAspending |
| Bennington, Town of | Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAssistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.2M | 7 Jul 2023 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.1M | 9 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Vermont Housing and Conservati | Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service | Other assistanceOther Reimbursable, Contingent, Intangible, or Indirect Financial Assistance | $2.1M | 25 Jul 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.0M | 20 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont's at-large congressional district | 100% | $8.3B | $12,814 |
Other counties in Vermont
- Chittenden County $8,999
- Washington County $15,132
- Windsor County $9,925
- Rutland County $8,196
- Windham County $7,566
- Franklin County $6,238
- Addison County $8,010
- Orange County $9,934
- Caledonia County $7,492
- Orleans County $8,138
- Lamoille County $6,041
- Grand Isle County $8,962
- Essex County $8,415
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Vermont.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Bennington County, Vermont?
$306M in award obligations in FY2026 and $1.2B 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?
$8,359 per resident in FY2026 (population 36,630), against $12,929 for Vermont 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 Bennington County, Vermont?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Transportation, Vermont Agency of ($59M), Bennington County Industrial Corp ($5.0M), Bennington College Corporation ($3.5M), Bennington, Town of ($3.2M) and Vermont Housing and Conservati ($2.1M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Bennington County, Vermont?
Social Security Administration ($930M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($87M), Department of Transportation ($77M), Department of Housing and Urban Development ($27M) and Department of Health and Human Services ($24M), 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.