Government

What does the do?

Updates published annually

The Office of Insular Affairs is a subdivision of the US Department of the Interior responsible for overseeing federal administration of the US territories. The agency works to ensure that the territories receive appropriate federal support and services and coordinates with territorial governments to address their needs. It was established in 1934.

In FY 2024,

$1.26B

was spent by the Office of Insular Affairs
In FY 2024,

7.4%

of Dept. of the Interior spending was by the Office of Insular Affairs

How much does the Office of Insular Affairs spend?

The Office of Insular Affairs spent a net total of $1.26 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 7.4% of the $17.1 billion spent by the Department of the Interior, which itself was 0.3% of all federal spending. The OIA ranked 8th among DOI subdivisions in net spending.
Net spending is the difference between agency spending and any financial accounts generating funds from the agency’s own activities, like fees or rent. When these funds offset all spending, net spending appears negative. Some agencies tend to operate with positive net spending while others will register negative net spending sometimes or often.

The Office of Insular Affairs ranked 8th among Department of the Interior divisions in net spending in 2024.

DOI net spending by division, FY 2024

Like the overall federal budget, agency spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Office of Insular Affairs’ federal spending has increased from $714 million in 1980 to $1.26 billion in 2024.

The Office of Insular Affairs’s federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by OIA, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1980–2024

Since 1980, the Office of Insular Affairs' spending has increased 76.5%, while overall spending has increased 193.7%.
As a percentage of the overall federal budget, a positive number means agency net spending made up some positive share of total federal spending; a negative number means that net generated funds offset a portion of total spending. OIA spending grew less than overall federal spending since 1980, which means that its share of the federal budget decreased. In 2024, OIA accounted for 0.019% of overall federal spending.

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Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Office of Insular Affairs’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

Net spending by OIA as a share of federal spending, FYs 1980–2024

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2024, the Office of Insular Affairs transferred 64.8% of its total spending to states and local governments.
The chart below outlines all net OIA spending.

How did the Office of Insular Affairs spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to OIA, FY 2024

Who leads the Office of Insular Affairs?

OIA is led by an assistant secretary, who is nominated by the president of the United States and requires Senate confirmation. They report to the Secretary of the Interior.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

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.

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