Government articles
How many people receive SNAP benefits in the US every month?
About 42.1 million people during fiscal year (FY) 2025. That’s 12.3% of the US population. Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is determined based on household income levels. SNAP, once known as the Food Stamp program, is administered by the Department of Agriculture providing food assistance to low-income individuals.
How much foreign aid does the US provide overall?
About $82.3 billion in aid was obligated for fiscal year (FY) 2024, the most recent fully-reported year. Another $19.4 billion has been reported for FY 2025.
How much debt does the US have?
The US has $38.8 trillion in debt as of February 2026. The federal government borrows money when its spending and investments cannot be funded by federal revenue alone; this debt enables the government to pay for programs and services when funds aren’t immediately available.
How much money does the US federal government collect?
About $5.26 trillion in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This is about $15,400 per person in the US, however individual contributions vary based on income, spending, and other factors. Government revenue is the total amount of money received from individual and corporate taxes, and other sources that are used to pay for government spending.
How much federal money goes toward all state and local governments?
About $1.1 trillion in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This total includes money transferred to states, tribal governments, and local governments, such as cities and counties. Federal funding helps state and local governments pay for things like infrastructure, education, and health care for low-income people. In FY 2024, these transfers made up 16.2% of all federal spending.
How much does the US spend on defense?
About $873.5 billion in fiscal year 2024. Defense spending includes personnel compensation, equipment, research and development (R&D), and the costs associated with operating and maintaining military efforts. The Department of Defense is responsible for most spending on national defense, along with other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice.
What countries receive the most foreign aid from the US?
In fiscal year (FY) 2024 — the most recent fully-reported year — Israel received $6.82 billion, the most of any country. This amount reflects disbursements, a measure of foreign aid that captures when money is actually transferred out of US government accounts. Foreign aid is reported by more than 20 agencies within the federal government that fund foreign assistance activities.
What percentage of public school funding in the US comes from the federal government?
About 13.7% or one in every seven dollars of public school funding during the 2021–22 school year. Local and state governments typically provide most school district funding, with the federal government providing in the rest. Federal sources provide as little as 0% and as much as 75% of funding, depending on the district. Federal funding depends on factors such as poverty levels and other student demographics, availability of state and local revenues, and whether a district is urban, suburban, or rural. During 2021–22, which is the latest year of data available, public schools received $124.9 billion, or $2,536 in federal funds per student.
How many civilian jobs are in the US federal government?
About 2.69 million, as of January 2026. Federal jobs include all jobs ranging from janitors to air traffic controllers to nurses to postal workers and more. (Enlisted service people are considered government employees but aren’t included in this figure because they’re not civilians.) Out of the 158.6 million nonfarm jobs in the US, 1.7% are in the federal government, the nation’s largest employer. Another way to look at it: The federal government is responsible for one in every 60 jobs.
How much does the federal government spend on SNAP every year?
About $101.7 billion during fiscal year (FY) 2025. That’s 1.4% of all federal spending. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as the Food Stamp program, is administered by the Department of Agriculture providing food assistance to low-income people.
How are public schools in the US funded?
Primarily from state and local governments. In the 2021–2022 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 44.1% of public school funding came from state sources like income and retail taxes, and another 42.2% came from local sources like property taxes. The federal government provided the remaining 13.7%, often through programs like Title I or IDEA that are aimed at supporting specific student needs. Altogether, public schools received $909.2 billion in funding, or $18,500 per student.
How many disasters are declared in the US?
On average, 125 disasters are declared per year. This figure is based on the most recent five full years of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data.
How much does FEMA spend on disaster response?
Around $31.7 billion per year on average, according to the last five years of data. In 2024, that would have been around 0.47% of the federal budget. This funding goes toward direct aid for individuals, debris removal, repairing public infrastructure, and projects that reduce future disaster risks.
How much US government debt is owned by other countries?
As of June 2025, about 25.2% of US government debt, or $9.13 trillion, is owned by other countries. When the federal government spends more money than it collects in revenue, it sells US Treasury securities to bring in cash and pay for the difference. People, governments, corporations, and investment funds like retirement accounts — both US and international — can purchase these.
How much is spent per Medicaid enrollee in the US?
In fiscal year (FY) 2023, $9,109 per enrollee. That's 1% lower than in FY 2022. Adjusted for inflation, Medicaid spending per enrollee is at its lowest level since 1994. Spending primarily covers benefits, but administrative costs are also included.
How much does Medicaid cost in the US?
A combined $894 billion in state and federal spending in fiscal year (FY) 2023, the most recent data available. That’s about $2,700 for every person living in the US. As a health insurance program for low-income individuals, Medicaid is jointly funded by both levels of government, with the federal government covering the larger share.
All about taxes
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) came with some big tax changes. When do they take effect and what's the tax story so far? Here's your one stop shop for everything taxes.
Who pays the most income tax?
The federal government generated $5.26 trillion in revenue in fiscal year 2025, half of which came from taxing people on their incomes. Individual income taxes in FY 2025 totaled $2.66 trillion, or $7,771 per person.
Which states bring in the most non-tax revenue?
Alaska received the largest share of its general revenue — 72.4% — from non-tax sources in 2023, according to the Census Bureau. Louisiana received 65.1% of general revenue from non-tax sources, and South Carolina received 64.7%. The Census Bureau calculates states’ general revenue based on four categories: Tax revenue (income, sales, property taxes, licensing fees, and other taxes) Intergovernmental revenue (money from federal or local governments) Current charges (revenue from operating airports, educational institutions, hospitals, parking facilities, and more) Miscellaneous general revenue (investment earnings, sale of property, and other general revenue) It does not include revenue from government-owned utilities, government-owned liquor stores, or social insurance trusts. How do states collect revenues outside of taxes?States receive revenue from a range of sources other than taxes, including funding from the federal government, fees, and other transactions such as property sales and interest earnings. In 2023, the federal government provided a total of $1.1 trillion to states, accounting for 36.0% of all state general revenue that year. Service charges and other miscellaneous non-tax sources of revenue accounted for 16.6% of states’ general revenues. These sources include any money generated by operating parking facilities, airports, hospitals, highways, parks and recreation, higher education institutions (including tuition and fees), natural resources, waste management, and more.
Department of Defense or Department of War: Which is it?
On September 5, 2025, President Trump introduced “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense in an executive order. Is the "Department of War” the new department name?Yes and no: the DOD can use “Department of War” as a secondary title, but Congress would need to pass legislation to officially change an agency’s name. And while an act formalizing the name change has been introduced to Congress, it hasn’t passed the House or the Senate. So it’s still officially the Department of Defense under the Federal Register and on USA.gov, but the DOD does refer to itself using the secondary title, the “Department of War.”