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Congressional district · 119th Congress boundaries
Federal spending in MA-08: Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
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 $2.8B for work and payments in Massachusetts's 8th congressional district in FY2026, or $3,576 per resident.
That is below the Massachusetts rate of $14,277 per resident (25% of it) and below the national rate of $14,744; it ranks 6 of 9 districts in the state.
The FY2026 mix was 42% direct payments, 29% contracts, 29% grants.
Obligations were down 17% on FY2025, and the five-year total since FY2023 is $12B.
Over FY2022–FY2025, the largest awarding agencies were Department of Housing and Urban Development ($4.7B), Department of Defense ($1.7B) and Department of Health and Human Services ($1.5B).
Per resident, by award type FY2026
- Contracts $813M
- Grants $806M
- Direct payments $1.1B
- Loans (subsidy cost) −$2.6M
- Other assistance $116K
| Per resident | This district | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| All award obligations | $3,576 | $14,277 | $14,744 |
| Contracts | $1,052 | $2,393 | $2,007 |
| Grants | $1,042 | $4,038 | $3,528 |
| Direct payments | $1,486 | $7,829 | $9,185 |
| Loans (subsidy cost) | −$3 | $3 | −$16 |
| Other assistance | $0 | $16 | $40 |
| Rank by per-resident rate | 6 of 9 in state · 301 of 436 US | 18 of 51 states | — |
District attribution follows the congressional district USAspending records for the primary place of performance; awards carrying only a state-level location are counted in the state but in no district. Medicare payments are attributed to the district of the administrative contractor.
Obligations by fiscal year
Recipients that dominate the district FY2022–FY2025
Who funds the district FY2022–FY2025
Awarding agencies
Assistance programs
Contract industries by NAICS sector
Largest awards performed in the district
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources | Department of Energy | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $371M | 8 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| Public Health, Massachusetts Department of | Department of Health and Human ServicesSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | GrantProject Grant (B) | $181M | 24 Sep 2024 | USAspending |
| Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Navy | ContractDefinitive Contract | $169M | 13 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| The Commonwealth of Massachusetts | Department of CommerceNational Institute of Standards and Technology | GrantProject Grant (B) | $147M | 29 Nov 2022 | USAspending |
| Suffolk Construction Company, Inc. | Department of Veterans Affairs | ContractDefinitive Contract | $88M | 3 Aug 2026 | USAspending |
| U.S. Bank National Association | Department of Energy | LoanGuaranteed/Insured Loan (F) | $81Mloan face value | 13 Mar 2024 | USAspending |
| Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention | ContractDefinitive Contract | $75M | 17 Jan 2025 | USAspending |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDefinitive Contract | $59M | 12 Dec 2024 | USAspending |
| Massachusetts Department of Transportation | Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration | GrantFormula Grant (a) | $55M | 25 May 2023 | USAspending |
| Department of Public Safety | Department of Homeland SecurityFederal Emergency Management Agency | GrantProject Grant (B) | $46M | 19 Mar 2026 | USAspending |
Counties in the district
- Norfolk County 38% of county area
- Suffolk County 29% of county area
- Plymouth County 15% of county area
- Bristol County 5% of county area
Other districts in Massachusetts
Questions and answers
How much federal spending goes to Massachusetts's 8th congressional district?
$2.8B in award obligations in FY2026 and $12B since FY2023, counting awards whose primary place of performance is in the district. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
How much federal spending per person is that?
$3,576 per resident in FY2026 (population 772,956), against $14,277 for Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's 8th congressional district?
By obligations over FY2022–FY2025: Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities ($2.2B), The General Hospital Corporation ($1.0B), Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc. ($465M), Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency ($399M) and Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources ($390M). Individuals are never listed.
Which agencies fund Massachusetts's 8th congressional district?
Department of Housing and Urban Development ($4.7B), Department of Defense ($1.7B), Department of Health and Human Services ($1.5B), Department of Energy ($491M) and Department of Education ($445M), 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, congressional district layer, current districts) by fiscal year and award type, loaded 30 Sep 2026; district population as returned by the same endpoint; recipient and agency cross-tabulations for FY2022–FY2025, fetched 18 Sep 2026. Boundaries and county overlap: Census cartographic boundary and relationship files for the 119th Congress. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections.