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What does the do?

Updates published annually

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is a subdivision of the Department of Agriculture responsible for providing financial assistance and support to improve housing and infrastructure in rural areas. It was established in 1994.

In FY 2024,

$2.24B

was spent by the Rural Housing Service
In FY 2024,

1.1%

of Dept. of Agriculture spending was by the Rural Housing Service

How much does the Rural Housing Service spend?

The Rural Housing Service spent a net total of $2.24 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 1.1% of the $203.4 billion spent by the Department of Agriculture, which itself was 3% of all federal spending. The RHS ranked 9th among USDA 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 Rural Housing Service ranked 9th among Department of Agriculture divisions in net spending in 2024.

USDA 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 Rural Housing Service’s federal spending has decreased from $3.4 billion in 1994 to $2.24 billion in 2024.

The Rural Housing Service’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1994.

Yearly federal net spending by RHS, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1994–2024

Since 1994, Rural Housing Service's spending has decreased 34.1%, while overall spending has increased 118.1%.
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. RHS spending grew less than overall federal spending since 1994, which means that its share of the federal budget decreased. In 2024, RHS accounted for 0.033% 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 Rural Housing Service’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1994.

Net spending by RHS as a share of federal spending, FYs 1994–2024

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 Rural Housing Service received more in revenue from state and local governments than it transferred to those governments, giving it negative net indirect spending.
The chart below outlines all net RHS spending.

How did the Rural Housing Service spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to RHS, FY 2024

Who leads the Rural Housing Service?

RHS is led by an administrator. This individual is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and reports to the Undersecretary for Rural Development. There is no fixed term for this position.

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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.

  • Office of Personnel Management

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