States › West Virginia › McDowell County
County · West Virginia · FIPS 54047
Federal spending in McDowell County, WV
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.
McDowell County, West Virginia, received $147M in federal award obligations in FY2026: $8,693 for each of its 16,878 residents.
That is below the West Virginia rate of $13,445 per resident and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 25 of 55 counties in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 89% direct payments, 8% grants.
Obligations were down 12% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $627M.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Social Security Administration ($491M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($51M) and Department of Transportation ($50M).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $3.9M
- Grants $12M
- Direct payments $130M
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$12K
- Other assistance $262K
| Per resident | This county | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $8,693 | $13,445 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $233 | $968 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $721 | $5,038 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $7,724 | $7,353 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$1 | $3 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $15 | $84 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 25 of 55 in state · 1,003 of 3,144 US | 21 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 | Wvdot Division of Highways | 8 | $12M | 29% |
| 2 | McDowell County PSD | 2 | $6.9M | 17% |
| 3 | JBW Group LLC | 1 | $6.1M | 15% |
| 4 | Welch Gas Cooperative Association | 2 | $5.9M | 14% |
| 5 | McDowell County Commission | 1 | $5.5M | 13% |
| 6 | Wyoming County Economic Development Authority | 1 | $3.8M | 9% |
| 7 | City of Welch | 1 | $1.2M | 3% |
Largest awards performed in the county
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBW Group LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | ContractDelivery Order | $6.1M | 10 Feb 2025 | USAspending |
| McDowell County Commission | Department of AgricultureRural Utilities Service | GrantProject Grant (B) | $5.5M | 13 Jun 2024 | USAspending |
| Wyoming County Economic Development Authority | Department of CommerceEconomic Development Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.8M | 4 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Welch Gas Cooperative Association | Department of TransportationPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.8M | 15 May 2024 | USAspending |
| McDowell County PSD | Appalachian Regional Commission | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.5M | 11 Sep 2025 | USAspending |
| McDowell County PSD | Department of CommerceEconomic Development Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.4M | 4 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Wvdot Division of Highways | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.3M | 2 Jul 2025 | USAspending |
| Wvdot Division of Highways | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $2.1M | 18 Aug 2026 | USAspending |
| Welch Gas Cooperative Association | Department of TransportationPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.1M | 4 Apr 2025 | USAspending |
| Wvdot Division of Highways | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $1.8M | 19 Feb 2026 | USAspending |
Congressional districts
| District | Share of county land area | District FY2026 obligations | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia's 1st congressional district | 100% | $8.0B | $9,123 |
Other counties in West Virginia
- Kanawha County $11,950
- Berkeley County $7,471
- Monongalia County $9,596
- Cabell County $8,311
- Jefferson County $10,980
- Wood County $8,193
- Raleigh County $9,333
- Harrison County $10,391
- Mercer County $8,635
- Marion County $8,481
- Putnam County $7,779
- Mineral County $14,933
- Wayne County $9,495
- Ohio County $8,676
- Fayette County $8,826
- Greenbrier County $8,816
- Jackson County $9,670
- Randolph County $9,482
- Logan County $8,371
- Marshall County $8,475
- Preston County $6,988
- Nicholas County $9,304
- Hancock County $7,691
- Mingo County $9,773
- Mason County $7,568
- Upshur County $7,606
- Boone County $8,612
- Hampshire County $7,232
- Brooke County $7,395
- Wyoming County $7,354
- Morgan County $8,077
- Lincoln County $7,559
- Hardy County $9,836
- Lewis County $8,092
- Braxton County $10,290
- Taylor County $7,370
- Barbour County $7,746
- Monroe County $9,295
- Summers County $9,972
- Roane County $8,202
- Wetzel County $7,506
- Grant County $8,292
- Pocahontas County $10,141
- Webster County $9,656
- Ritchie County $9,152
- Clay County $9,719
- Calhoun County $10,296
- Tyler County $7,572
- Pendleton County $9,848
- Pleasants County $6,597
- Doddridge County $6,289
- Wirt County $9,412
- Gilmer County $6,467
- Tucker County $3,467
Per-resident rate, FY2026. All counties in West Virginia.
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to McDowell County, West Virginia?
$147M in award obligations in FY2026 and $627M 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?
$8,693 per resident in FY2026 (population 16,878), against $13,445 for West Virginia 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 McDowell County, West Virginia?
By the value of $1.0M-plus awards begun since FY2023: Wvdot Division of Highways ($12M), McDowell County PSD ($6.9M), JBW Group LLC ($6.1M), Welch Gas Cooperative Association ($5.9M) and McDowell County Commission ($5.5M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund McDowell County, West Virginia?
Social Security Administration ($491M), Department of Veterans Affairs ($51M), Department of Transportation ($50M), Department of Commerce ($14M) and Department of Agriculture ($10M), 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.