How the States, Local Governments Get Federal Money [CHART]

In 2014, about $3.3 trillion dollars went from the federal government to state governments, some of it passing through to local communities.

A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts tracks the money, organizing the funds into five major categories, and then showing which types of federal money go to each state. The result: a snapshot of how about a fifth of a state’s economy is distributed, because that’s how much the federal money is worth to each state’s economic activity.

Courtesy of The Pew Charitable Trusts

We talked with Anne Stauffer, director at the Pew Charitable Trusts. Here’s how that conversation went:

WDET: Can you summarize the report for us?

Listen to Stauffer’s answer: “…it’s equivalent to about one fifth of total state economic activity…”

WDET: What is the $99 million that comes to Michigan spent on?

Listen to Stauffer’s answer: “…Michigan … is sort of slightly above the national average…”

WDET: How much is the political environment responsible for where federal money goes, in other words, to what extent does the U.S. president determine the nature and amount of the spending?

Listen to Stauffer’s answer: “…a lot of these programs are negotiated on an annual basis…”

WDET: If voters are looking for indications to help them determine how a presidential candidate might decide how much and what kind of federal money could come to Michigan, what should they look for in a candidates’ platform or record?

Listen to Stauffer’s answer “…look at the categories that are really the most important to (your) state…”

Explore the 2014 data for yourself in the tables below.