This page provides an overview of how the federal government spent money in a single year. For a more detailed breakdown of the spending numbers, see TruthAndPolitics' Federal Budget: Detailed Numbers.
The chart and table depict federal spending for fiscal year 2003. Figures here are for outlays, not budget authority. The budget categories below roughly reflect the budget functions.
Numbers are the percent of total outlays.
| Name | percentage | $ billions | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total outlays | 100.0 | 2157.64 | ||
| Social Security | 22.0 | 474.68 | Function 650 | |
| Military | 18.8 | 404.92 | Function 050 | |
| Medicare | 11.6 | 249.43 | Function 570 | |
| Social welfare | 8.6 | 185.18 | Subfunctions 604, 605, 609 | |
| Medicaid | 7.6 | 165.01 | Medicaid | |
| Interest | 7.1 | 153.08 | Function 900 | |
| Retirement, disability, unemployment | 6.9 | 149.26 | Subfunctions 601, 602, 603 | |
| Education, training, employment, social services | 3.8 | 82.57 | Function 500 | |
| Transportation | 3.1 | 67.07 | Function 400 | |
| Veterans | 2.6 | 57.02 | Function 700 | |
| Other health | 2.5 | 54.56 | Health (function 550) minus Medicaid | |
| Other | 5.3 | 114.86 | Sum of following items: | |
| Administration of justice | 1.6 | 35.41 | Function 750 | |
| Natural resources and environment | 1.4 | 29.70 | Function 300 | |
| General government | 1.1 | 22.99 | Function 800 | |
| Agriculture | 1.0 | 22.60 | Function 350 | |
| International affairs | 1.0 | 21.21 | Function 150 | |
| Science | 1.0 | 20.87 | Function 250 | |
| Community and regional development | 0.9 | 18.85 | Function 450 | |
| Energy | -0.0 | -0.78 | Function 270 | |
| Commerce and housing credit | -0.1 | -1.61 | Function 370 | |
| Offsetting receipts | -2.5 | -54.38 | Offsetting receipts | |
Figures below 100.0 in the column entitled percentage may not add up to 100 because of rounding errors.
Units: the figures in the column entitled $ billions are millions of dollars. They have not been adjusted for inflation. Examples:
Some of the numbers in the table are negative. This is because offsetting receipts and collections are recorded as negative outlays.
Public Budget Database, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2005.
The choice of budget categories in the piechart and table were influenced by Anders Schneiderman and Nathan Newman, The National Budget Simulation.
The following documents were used in the development of this presentation of the budget:
Page last updated on 2004 February 15