States › Washington › Pierce County
County · Washington · FIPS 53053
Federal spending in Pierce County, WA
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 $7.2B for work and payments in Pierce County, Washington, in FY2026, or $7,631 per resident.
That is below the Washington rate of $12,136 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 29 of 39 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 77% direct payments, 14% grants, 8% contracts.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $28B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($15B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($4.3B) and Department of Defense ($2.6B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $595M
- Grants $1.0B
- Direct payments $5.6B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $7.2M
- Other assistance $11M
| Per resident | This county | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $7,631 | $12,136 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $629 | $2,361 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $1,075 | $3,844 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $5,908 | $5,900 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $8 | −$1 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $11 | $32 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 29 of 39 in state · 1,570 of 3,144 US | 32 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 | Washington ST Department of Transportation | 82 | $600M | 29% |
| 2 | Military Department, Washington State | 43 | $355M | 17% |
| 3 | The Geo Group, Inc. | 4 | $323M | 16% |
| 4 | US Oil & Refining Co | 141 | $217M | 11% |
| 5 | Absher Construction Co | 2 | $112M | 5% |
| 6 | Structsure Projects Inc | 2 | $103M | 5% |
| 7 | Walsh-Western Wood JV | 1 | $79M | 4% |
| 8 | Hhi Services, Inc. | 7 | $65M | 3% |
| 9 | Clover Park School District | 6 | $64M | 3% |
| 10 | City Light & Power JBLM LLC | 2 | $62M | 3% |
A further $77M went to recipients not shown: individuals, aggregated records and names USAspending withholds.
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Geo Group, Inc. | Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | ContractDelivery Order | $117M | 24 Oct 2024 | USAspending |
| Washington ST Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $110M | 15 Apr 2024 | USAspending |
| Washington ST Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $88M | 5 Jan 2024 | USAspending |
| Walsh-Western Wood JV | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $79M | 25 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| The Geo Group, Inc. | Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | ContractDelivery Order | $73M | 27 Oct 2023 | USAspending |
| The Geo Group, Inc. | Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | ContractDelivery Order | $70M | 27 Oct 2022 | USAspending |
| The Geo Group, Inc. | Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | ContractDelivery Order | $63M | 8 May 2026 | USAspending |
| Structsure Projects Inc | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $59M | 22 Sep 2023 | USAspending |
| Absher Construction Co | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $59M | 25 Apr 2024 | USAspending |
| Absher Construction Co | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDefinitive Contract | $53M | 6 Nov 2025 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington's 8th congressional district | 75% | $1.5B | $1,973 |
| Washington's 10th congressional district | 16% | $4.5B | $5,835 |
| Washington's 6th congressional district | 10% | $6.1B | $7,907 |
Other counties in Washington
- King County $10,482
- Benton County $24,998
- Snohomish County $5,439
- Spokane County $6,872
- Thurston County $10,962
- Clark County $6,017
- Kitsap County $11,234
- Whatcom County $6,769
- Yakima County $5,508
- Skagit County $8,420
- Cowlitz County $8,307
- Island County $10,855
- Clallam County $11,675
- Chelan County $9,434
- Grays Harbor County $9,382
- Lewis County $7,721
- Grant County $5,618
- Mason County $8,073
- Walla Walla County $8,466
- Stevens County $9,359
- Whitman County $9,370
- Jefferson County $13,205
- Okanogan County $9,753
- Franklin County $3,896
- Kittitas County $7,047
- Douglas County $6,530
- Pacific County $10,091
- Klickitat County $9,031
- Asotin County $8,932
- San Juan County $9,211
- Pend Oreille County $10,047
- Lincoln County $11,890
- Adams County $5,844
- Skamania County $7,638
- Ferry County $8,689
- Columbia County $13,633
- Wahkiakum County $8,414
- Garfield County $11,040
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Washington.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Pierce County, Washington?
$7.2B in award obligations in FY2026 and $28B 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?
$7,631 per resident in FY2026 (population 946,288), against $12,136 for Washington 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 Pierce County, Washington?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Washington ST Department of Transportation ($600M), Military Department, Washington State ($355M), The Geo Group, Inc. ($323M), US Oil & Refining Co ($217M) and Absher Construction Co ($112M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Pierce County, Washington?
Social Security Administration ($15B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($4.3B), Department of Defense ($2.6B), Department of Homeland Security ($2.6B) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($639M), 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.