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County · Wisconsin · FIPS 55079
Federal spending in Milwaukee County, WI
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.
In FY2026, $5.5B in federal awards named Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as the primary place of performance, $5,910 per resident.
That is below the Wisconsin rate of $18,159 per resident (33% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 66 of 72 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 83% direct payments, 10% grants.
Obligations were about level on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $23B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($15B), Department of Health and Human Services ($2.1B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.7B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $393M
- Grants $522M
- Direct payments $4.5B
- Loans (subsidy cost) $5.9M
- Other assistance $13M
| Per resident | This county | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $5,910 | $18,159 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $425 | $657 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $564 | $2,850 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $4,899 | $14,632 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | $6 | −$11 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $15 | $32 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 66 of 72 in state · 2,795 of 3,144 US | 12 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 | Wisconsin Department of Transportation | 129 | $893M | 49% |
| 2 | City of Milwaukee | 25 | $201M | 11% |
| 3 | The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. | 82 | $188M | 10% |
| 4 | Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee | 13 | $73M | 4% |
| 5 | Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 10 | $71M | 4% |
| 6 | Energy Systems Group, LLC | 1 | $69M | 4% |
| 7 | Sawtooth Construction JV II LLC | 1 | $64M | 4% |
| 8 | United Migrant Opportunity Services/Umos Inc. | 1 | $62M | 3% |
| 9 | Oshkosh Defense LLC | 14 | $59M | 3% |
| 10 | Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. | 25 | $53M | 3% |
A further $96M 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin's 4th congressional district | 58% | $5.4B | $7,311 |
| Wisconsin's 1st congressional district | 35% | $3.5B | $4,840 |
| Wisconsin's 5th congressional district | 7% | $4.8B | $6,444 |
Other counties in Wisconsin
- Dane County $87,986
- Winnebago County $19,515
- Waukesha County $7,780
- La Crosse County $22,049
- Brown County $6,295
- Outagamie County $7,445
- Wood County $19,504
- Rock County $8,221
- Racine County $6,522
- Kenosha County $6,188
- Washington County $6,702
- Marathon County $6,497
- Sheboygan County $7,092
- Walworth County $7,250
- Fond du Lac County $6,593
- Ozaukee County $7,100
- Eau Claire County $5,851
- St. Croix County $5,879
- Manitowoc County $7,006
- Dodge County $6,301
- Jefferson County $6,280
- Columbia County $8,257
- Waupaca County $9,266
- Sauk County $7,149
- Portage County $6,407
- Chippewa County $6,745
- Monroe County $9,495
- Barron County $7,938
- Oneida County $9,473
- Douglas County $8,107
- Polk County $7,661
- Grant County $6,101
- Dunn County $6,781
- Oconto County $7,362
- Shawano County $7,025
- Door County $9,522
- Calumet County $5,099
- Vilas County $11,334
- Pierce County $6,135
- Green County $6,880
- Adams County $11,170
- Lincoln County $8,402
- Juneau County $8,723
- Vernon County $6,970
- Waushara County $8,164
- Clark County $5,782
- Sawyer County $10,561
- Trempealeau County $6,219
- Burnett County $11,189
- Bayfield County $10,663
- Langlade County $8,856
- Iowa County $6,951
- Washburn County $9,526
- Green Lake County $8,347
- Ashland County $9,565
- Jackson County $6,779
- Marquette County $8,616
- Kewaunee County $6,556
- Richland County $7,954
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in Wisconsin.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
$5.5B in award obligations in FY2026 and $23B 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?
$5,910 per resident in FY2026 (population 924,216), against $18,159 for Wisconsin 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 Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Wisconsin Department of Transportation ($893M), City of Milwaukee ($201M), The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. ($188M), Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee ($73M) and Milwaukee County, Wisconsin ($71M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
Social Security Administration ($15B), Department of Health and Human Services ($2.1B), Department of Veterans Affairs ($1.7B), Department of Transportation ($1.0B) and Department of Housing and Urban Development ($882M), 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.