Site Map  enter code:

Numbers — Charts:

History:

Analyses:

 

    Contact    
smaller text  bigger text    print view

What is the Total US Government Spending?

In FY 2025, total US government spending, federal, state, and local, was “guesstimated” to be $12.50 trillion, with federal $7.01 trillion; state $3.43 trillion; local $3.23 trillion.

National Spending Analysis  

 

This page shows the current trends in US national spending. Also see charts on US spending history. See also: Social Security Spending and Medicare Spending
 

Recent US Total Government Spending

Recent Total Government Spending

Chart S.01t: Recent Total Government Spending

Total US Government Spending, federal, state and local, was increased briskly, year on year, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, then held at $6 trillion until 2015. During the COVID pandemic, spending increased sharply to $10.1 trillion in 2021.

Estimated spending for 2025 was $12.50 trillion.

Recent Total Spending as Pct GDP<br><br> 

Chart S.02t: Recent Total Spending as Pct GDP

 

Viewed from a GDP perspective, total government spending increased from 33 percent GDP in the mid 2000s and then jumped to 41 percent GDP in the Great Recession. But in the subsequent economic recovery total government spending steadily declined down to 35.4 percent GDP in 2015. During the COVID pandemic, spending increased sharply to 46 percent of GDP in 2020.

Estimated spending for 2025 was 40.6 percent GDP.

Numbers — Charts:

History:

Analyses:

US Total Government Spending Since 1900

Total Spending as Percent GDP

Chart S.03t: Total Spending as Percent GDP

Government spending at the start of the 20th century was less than 7 percent of GDP. It vaulted to almost 30 percent of GDP by the end of World War I, and then settled down to 10 percent of GDP in the 1920s. In the 1930s spending doubled to 20 percent of GDP. Defense spending in World War II drove overall government spending over 50 percent of GDP before declining to 22 percent of GDP in the late 1940s. The 1950s began a steady spending increase to about 36 percent of GDP by 1982. In the 1990s and 2000s government spending stayed about constant at 33-35 percent of GDP. In the aftermath of the Crash of 2008 spending jogged up to 40 percent of GDP before declining to about 35 percent GDP in the 2010s. In the COVID pandemic, spending increased sharply to 46 percent of GDP in 2020.

Suggested Video: Spending 101

Top Spending Requests:

Find DEFICIT stats and history.

Get WELFARE stats and history.

US BUDGET overview and pie chart.

Find NATIONAL DEBT today.

DOWNLOAD spending data or debt data.

See FEDERAL BUDGET breakdown and estimated vs. actual.

MILITARY SPENDING details, budget and history.

ENTITLEMENT SPENDING history.

See BAR CHARTS of spending, debt.

Check STATE spending: CA NY TX FL and compare.

See SPENDING ANALYSIS briefing.

See SPENDING HISTORY briefing.

Take a COURSE at Spending 101.

Make your own CUSTOM CHART.

Spending Data Sources

Spending data is from official government sources.

Gross Domestic Product data comes from US Bureau of Economic Analysis and measuringworth.com.

Detailed table of spending data sources here.
Medicare breakdown here; Medicaid breakdown here.

Federal spending data begins in 1792.

State and local spending data begins in 1820.

State and local spending data for individual states begins in 1957.

Spending 101 Courses

Spending | Federal Debt | Revenue | Defense | Welfare | Healthcare | Education
Debt History | Entitlements | Deficits | State Spending | State Taxes | State Debt


There’s More...

usgovernmentspending.com.

Where you go to get facts about government.

Prepared by Christopher Chantrill.
email: chrischantrill@gmail.com

Click the image on the right to buy usgovernmentspending.com’s ebook.
It costs only $1.99 and it contains all the analyses of spending history
on the website and more.

Gross Federal Debt

Debt Now:  $39,283,052,266,270.91
Debt 2/2020:$23,409,959,150,243.63

Site Search

Win Cash for Bugs

File a valid bug report and get a $5 Amazon Gift Certificate.

Get the Books


Price: $0.99
Or download
for free.

From
usgovernment
spending.com
Price: $1.99

Life after liberalism Price: $0.99
Or download
for free.

US Government Spending 2020: only 99¢.

US Government Spending 2012: free.

Data Sources for 2021_2031:

Sources for 2021:

GDP, GO: GDP, GO Sources
Federal: Fed. Budget: Hist. Tables 3.2, 5.1, 7.1
State and Local: State and Local Gov. Finances
'Guesstimated' by projecting the latest change in reported spending forward to future years

Sources for 2031:

GDP, GO: GDP, GO Sources
Federal: Fed. Budget: Hist. Tables 3.2, 5.1, 7.1
State and Local: State and Local Gov. Finances
'Guesstimated' by projecting the latest change in reported spending forward to future years

> data sources for other years
> data update schedule.

Blog

Medicare/Social Security 2026 Trustees Report Released

On June 16, 2026, the Center for Medicare Services released its annual Medicare Trustees Report, which projects Medicare spending out to 2095.  As in the past, the report shows that federal health-care programs will eat the budget.

In this report the Trustees forecast that Medicare will top out at a little above 6 percent of GDP in the 2080s.

On June 15, 2026, usgovernmentspending.com updated its chart of the Medicare Outlook here based on data in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report.  You can download the data and also view selected Medicare Trustee forecasts going back to 2005.


In June 2026, the Social Security Administration released its annual OASDI Trustees Report, which projects Social Security spending out to 2095.  As in the past, the report shows that Social Security spending will max out at about 6 percent of GDP. UsGovernmentspending.com uses the Supplemental Single Year Tables.

On June 15, 2026, usgovernmentspending.com updated its chart of the Social Security Outlook here based on data in the 2026 OASDI Trustees Report.  You can download the data and also view selected OASDI Trustee forecasts going back to 1997.

CBO Long Term Budget Outlook for 2026
On February 25, 2026 the Congressional Budget Office released its annual Long Term Budget Outlook for 2026, which projects ...

Gross State Product for 2025
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its Gross State Product (GSP) data for 2025 on April 9, 2026.Usgovernment ...

> blog

Spend Links

us numbersus budgetcustom chartdeficit/gdpspend/gdpdebt/gdpus gdpus real gdpstate gdpbreakdownfederalstatelocal202420252026californiatexas

Masthead

usgovernmentspending.com was designed and executed by:

Christopher Chantrill.

Email here.


presented by Christopher Chantrill

Data Sources  •   •  Contact

closed