How much federal money goes toward Washington, DC local government?
Updated May. 12, 2026Refreshed annually
The federal government provided $8.64 billion to Washington, DC in fiscal year (FY) 2023. This total includes money sent to Washington, DC's local governments. Federal funding helps state and local governments pay for things like infrastructure, education, and health care for low-income people. Although Washington, DC, is a federal district rather than a state, it too receives these government transfers.
In FY 2023
$8.64B
was the amount Washington, DC governments received from the federal government
In FY 2023
39.2%
of Washington, DC governments’ revenue came from federal transfers
Federal transfers to state and local governments may be awarded through a competitive application process, or given based on formulas that consider things like the size of a population, number of highway miles, or income of an area. Sometimes the money goes directly to local governments. Other times, the federal government gives “pass-through” grants to states, which then decide how to distribute the funds to local governments within their state.
Federal transfers to District of Columbia governments increased 10.6% in FY 2023.
Federal transfers to District of Columbia's state and local governments, FY 2023 dollars
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In FY 2023, Washington, DC received a total of $8.64 billion from federal transfers, up 10.6% from the year before. Money sent to Washington, DC governments made up 0.7% of all federal government transfers to states that year.
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What percent of Washington, DC's revenue comes from the federal government? How does this compare to other states?
Federal transfers to state and local governments can vary for many reasons, including the characteristics of the population (e.g., age and income levels), the strength of the local economy, and policy choices made by the recipient governments. This means funding varies across states, so one useful way to measure state reliance on federal money is to look at the share of total revenues coming from the federal government.
More of District of Columbia's revenues came from federal transfers than the average state in FY 2023.
Share of state and local government revenues from federal transfers, FY 2017–FY 2023
In FY 2023, 39.2% of Washington, DC's government revenues came from federal transfers. This was 14.0 percentage points higher than the average among states. This difference should be interpreted cautiously as Washington, DC is a federal district rather than a state.
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
