Alaska's federal awards reach $14.08 billion, ranking 45th nationally

Alaska recipients have drawn $14.08 billion in federal awards so far this federal fiscal year, spread across 16,688 contracts, grants, direct payments and loans. The average award runs about $843,800. The figures come from a USAspending.gov snapshot pulled Monday.

The total ranks Alaska 45th among 56 states and territories. Hawaii sits just above at $14.23 billion. New Hampshire sits just below at $12.58 billion. California leads at $395.81 billion, more than 28 times Alaska's total.

Federal dependence runs above the national average

Volume is not the same as dependence. Federal transfers made up 34.8% of Alaska's total government revenue in fiscal 2023, 9.0 percentage points above the average across states, according to USAFacts. At a Commonwealth North forum, University of Alaska Anchorage economist Brett Watson said contract spending has grown fastest, and that the largest federal agency spending money in Alaska is the Department of Defense.

The rollup counts prime awards only and excludes subawards. It refreshes weekly. The July 23 snapshot showed $13.81 billion across 16,330 awards.