States › Vermont › Essex County
County · Vermont · FIPS 50009
Federal spending in Essex 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 $51M for work and payments in Essex County, Vermont, in FY2026, or $8,415 per resident.
That is below the Vermont rate of $12,929 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 6 of 14 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 97% direct payments.
Obligations were down 16% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $218M.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($167M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($21M) and Department of Transportation ($15M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $264K
- Grants $1.0M
- Direct payments $50M
- Loans (subsidy cost) $4K
- Other assistance $10K
| Per resident | This county | Vermont | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,415 | $12,929 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $44 | $658 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $168 | $5,230 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $8,201 | $6,990 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $1 | −$1 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $2 | $52 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 6 of 14 in state · 1,125 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 | 2 | $6.4M | 73% |
| 2 | Austin Construction, Inc. | 1 | $1.2M | 14% |
| 3 | Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District | 1 | $1.2M | 14% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $5.1M | 25 Mar 2024 | USAspending |
| Transportation, Vermont Agency of | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.3M | 24 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| Austin Construction, Inc. | Department of the InteriorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | ContractDefinitive Contract | $1.2M | 24 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District | Department of the InteriorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $1.2M | 28 Jun 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
- Bennington County $8,359
- 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
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Vermont.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Essex County, Vermont?
$51M in award obligations in FY2026 and $218M 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?
$8,415 per resident in FY2026 (population 6,051), 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 Essex County, Vermont?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Transportation, Vermont Agency of ($6.4M), Austin Construction, Inc. ($1.2M) and Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District ($1.2M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Essex County, Vermont?
Social Security Administration ($167M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($21M), Department of Transportation ($15M), Department of Homeland Security ($4.3M) and Railroad Retirement Board ($4.0M), 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.