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Monthly Treasury Statement, table 9 · federal outlays by function, 12 months to each month-end

Which areas take the most federal spending?

Social Security made up 22.5% of federal outlays in the 12 months to , Medicare 14.5% and Net interest 14.2%.

Share of federal outlays on each function, 12 months to each month-end

128 periods, Feb 2016 to Sep 2026The full height is 100%

Share of federal outlays on each function, 12 months to each month-end, Feb 2016 to Sep 2026
  • All other functions 6.8%
  • Veterans benefits and services 5.6%
  • Income security 9.4%
  • Net interest 14.2%
  • National defense 13.1%
  • Health 13.9%
  • Medicare 14.5%
  • Social Security 22.5%

Each band is one function's share of the whole, the first function at the bottom; the shares are ours, worked out from the Treasury's amounts. Pointing at a period shows its shares. Each year's end is under "The numbers behind the chart".

Observed .

Right now

Social Security made up 22.5% of federal outlays in the 12 months to , Medicare 14.5% and Net interest 14.2%.

The whole was $7.40T in the 12 months to .

See each year's shares

Over time

Over the year to , Net interest rose from 13.8% to 14.2%, and Income security fell from 10.0% to 9.4%.

Since , Net interest rose from 6.3% to 14.2%, and Income security fell from 13.5% to 9.4%.

See the shares year by year

OursOur arithmetic

The amounts are the Treasury's. A share is one function's amount divided by the sum of all functions, to one decimal, and is worked out by 500metrics.

Understanding outlays by function

Where it stands today

Social Security made up 22.5% of federal outlaysin the 12 months to.

How is this chart made?

Outlays are the money the federal government spends, after the repayments and receipts that offset some of it. The Treasury groups them by function, the purpose of the spending: Social Security, Medicare, health (such as Medicaid), national defense, income security (such as food assistance, unemployment benefits and the refundable tax credits), veterans benefits and services, and net interest on the debt.

Read more

The chart shows seven of the functions and, as the last band, all the other functions together: international affairs, science, energy, natural resources, agriculture, commerce and housing credit, transportation, community development, education, justice and general government.

The amounts are the Treasury's, as the statement prints them, in dollars and cents; this page shows whole millions of dollars. Each share is the amount of one part divided by the sum of all parts, worked out by 500metrics.

The numbers behind the chart

What share did each function hold in the 12 months to the end of September in each year?11 rows, newest first
Share of federal outlays in each function in the 12 months to the end of September in each year, newest first
12 months toSocial SecurityMedicareHealthNational defenseNet interestIncome securityVeterans benefits and servicesAll other functions
22.5%14.5%13.9%13.1%14.2%9.4%5.6%6.8%
22.5%14.2%14.0%13.1%13.8%10.0%5.4%7.0%
21.7%13.0%13.5%13.0%13.1%9.9%4.8%11.1%
22.1%13.8%14.5%13.4%10.7%12.6%4.9%7.9%
19.4%12.0%14.6%12.2%7.6%13.8%4.4%16.0%
16.6%10.2%11.7%11.1%5.2%24.2%3.4%17.6%
16.7%11.8%11.4%11.1%5.3%19.3%3.3%21.1%
23.5%14.6%12.8%15.8%8.4%11.6%4.5%8.7%
24.0%14.3%13.0%15.8%7.9%12.1%4.4%8.5%
23.7%15.0%13.4%15.1%6.6%12.7%4.4%9.1%
23.8%15.4%13.3%15.4%6.2%13.4%4.5%8.0%

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

How much was each function, in millions of dollars?Millions of dollars of outlays in the 12 months to the month-end
Millions of dollars of outlays in the 12 months to the month-end, in each year, newest first
12 months toSocial SecurityMedicareHealthNational defenseNet interestIncome securityVeterans benefits and servicesAll other functionsAll functions
1,667,0971,072,6261,025,587965,1851,051,754694,224416,202503,0597,395,734
1,580,686996,719978,877916,648970,661701,580377,162487,9857,010,318
1,460,914874,134911,684874,054881,651671,076325,363747,6006,746,476
1,354,319847,544889,297820,735659,182774,668301,606487,0806,134,431
1,218,674755,094914,466766,656475,121865,449274,4101,001,7636,271,633
1,134,593696,461796,762754,843352,2641,648,845234,2781,200,1036,818,149
1,095,817776,224748,292726,255344,7061,262,565218,6671,379,5036,552,029
1,044,416650,997570,904701,432375,608515,433200,036387,7544,446,580
987,796588,706534,402648,777324,697495,802178,853348,7194,107,752
944,882597,305533,059600,278262,781504,014176,542360,2713,979,132
916,078594,535511,320595,303240,722514,586174,515307,0233,854,082

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

What do the figures leave out, and what are their dates?Limits and dates

What this number cannot tell you

  • All other functions also holds the undistributed offsetting receipts, which are below zero and reduce total outlays (what federal agencies pay into their employees' retirement funds, interest credited to trust funds, and rents and royalties from oil and gas leases on federal land and waters). A function can be below zero in some periods, when repayments or revised estimates are larger than the spending (commerce and housing credit and education have been). Netted into one band, the rest is above zero in every period shown.
  • Net interest is interest the government pays on its debt less the interest it receives. It is not the gross interest expense on the debt, which is on the page for interest by type of security.
  • The first period ends in February 2016: it needs twelve months, and the table begins in March 2015. Table 9 begins in March 2015 in the data the Treasury's Fiscal Data service gives; older statements are published as documents only. A share is printed to one decimal, so a part under 0.05 percent of the whole shows as 0.0%.
  • A month whose parts do not add up to the statement's own total is left out, and so are the periods that would hold it.
  • A period of twelve months adds twelve monthly figures, and the page of fiscal years takes the year's own figure from the September statement. The Treasury revises months after it first prints them, so the two can differ by a little.

Dates

Observed
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Next expected

Observed .

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