EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, APRIL 2, 1998 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB98-51 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Gerard Keffer 301-457-1522 Federal Government Disburses More Than $1 Trillion Domestically in FY97, Census Bureau Reports The federal government distributed $1.4 trillion in domestic grants, benefits, subsidies, salaries and goods and services purchased in fiscal year 1997, according to two reports released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The data can be accessed at this Internet address http://www.census.gov/govs/www/. "These reports profile the geographic distribution of federal domestic spending," said Gerard Keffer, chief of the Census Bureau's Federal Programs Branch. The reports, Federal Expenditures by State for Fiscal Year 1997, FES/97 and Consolidated Federal Funds Report, Fiscal Year 1997, County Areas, CFFR/97 cover all domestic spending, except interest on the federal debt. California received the most federal funds of any state area, followed by New York and Texas. New York City received more than any other county or county equivalent. New York City and Los Angeles County each received more federal money than did 42 states. However, in terms of per capita federal funds received, New York City ranked 522nd and Los Angeles County ranked 1,320th among 3,137 counties and county equivalents in the United States. Nationally, federal domestic assistance in 1997 increased 2.6 percent over 1996. The main reason for the increase was direct payments to individuals, such as Social Security and Medicare payments. The top five states in total 1997 federal spending per capita were: Rank State Amount Per Capita 1 Virginia $7,964 2 Maryland $7,664 3 Alaska $7,650 4 New Mexico $7,265 5 Hawaii $6,890 The top five county areas in total 1997 federal spending were: Rank County/County Equivalent Amount 1 New York City, N.Y. $42.2 billion 2 Los Angeles County, Calif. $41.4 billion 3 Cook County, Ill. $23.5 billion 4 San Diego County, Calif. $17.2 billion 5 Harris County, Texas $13.6 billion According to the reports, 1997 federal government payroll expenditures totaled $166 billion, a 2.1 percent increase from 1996. Federal government procurement contract obligations totaled $193 billion in 1997, a 3.8 percent decrease from 1996. Federal defense spending, which includes payroll, defense contracts and grants, as well as military pensions, totaled $218 billion in 1997, a 6 percent decrease from 1996. The top five county areas in total 1997 federal defense spending were: Rank County/County Equivalent Amount 1 Los Angeles County, Calif. $7.6 billion 2 San Diego County, Calif. $7.4 billion 3 Fairfax County, Va. $5.0 billion 4 St. Louis City, Mo. $4.3 billion 5 Arlington County, Va. $3.4 billion-X-Editor's Note: The Public Information Office now has a media-access server for embargoed news releases and data sets. It is available to accredited media representatives only. To gain access, please contact us for a username and password. The media-access server's Internet address is http://www.census.gov/dcmd/www/embargo/embargo.html. We would appreciate any comments you may have about the site. The Census Bureau pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In more than 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
