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US Government Spending As Percent Of GDP

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Warning: Switching to line chart



Use the controls below to CUSTOMIZE chart or CHANGE the data series

Hover mouse over dropdown controls for help. Remember, you can display a maximum of five data series at once.

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Spending Units: By default, government spending is displayed in billions of dollars. But using a dropdown control in the table heading you can select billions of 2005 dollars, percent of GDP, 2005 dollars per capita, percent of federal spending, or percent of total spending.
Chart Title: You can create a title for your chart. Use the text field to enter a title and click the button to the right of the text field.
US or State: By default, the chart shows overall United States government spending. But you can select spending for individual states by selecting the state dropdown control in the table heading.
State, Local: By default, you can chart state spending or local spending by clicking a radio button in the selection table. But you can chart state-and-local combined by selecting state n local in the state/local dropdown control in the table heading.
View: There are many ways to view the spending data. The default view is functional. There is a census view that conforms with the spending categories used by the US Census Bureau in its Statistical Abstract. There is a COFOG view that categorizes spending using the UN methodology.
Linear/Log: By default, the data series are displayed as linear charts. But you can also select a log chart. Linear charts show constant amount changes as a straight line; Log charts show constant rates of change as a straight line.
Line/Bar: By default, the data series are displayed as line charts. But you can also select a bar chart.
Data Stack: By default, the data series are “stacked” when displayed on the chart. But you can change the setting to “un stack” the data series.
Chart Size: By default, the chart is displayed at medium size. But you can use the dropdown control to change the size.
Color: By default charts are displayed with color data lines and fill. You can change this to grayscale if you want.
US Budget Year: By default, the chart displays budgeted and estimated federal spending in the current US Budget submitted to the Congress by the president. But you can look at previous budgeted numbers using this dropdown control.

Data Range

Start Year: You can select any start year you want using the dropdown control in the table heading. At the top and bottom of the dropdown only years ending in “0” are shown. Select a start year to get close, then select the start year you want.
End Year: You can select any end year you want using the dropdown control in the table heading. At the top and bottom of the dropdown only years ending in “0” are shown. Select an end year to get close, then select the end year you want.
Category (max 5)Sub-categoryFed Gov. 
Xfer 
State Local Total   
 
Data Series: Select a spending series you want to chart from a dropdown on the left. If you select on the bottom dropdown you will add a data series (up to a maximum of five). The right-hand dropdown allows you to replace a data series with a more narrowly focused series. Click the “X” link to remove a data series from the chart.
 *
 
 All Categories
* If you add data series at same government level, this item will be shown as Remaining Spending.

If you’d like to create your own custom chart of spending data you should use the table above to make your selections.

  • Select the year range: Select the start year and the end year you want by selecting the years you want in the two year dropdown boxes.
  • Select spending items: Just select the spending item you want from the dropdown control. Then click a radio button to select the level of government: federal, state, or local. If you select from the < select > you will add another data series to your chart. Up to 5 data series are allowed at once. Click the “X” link to remove a data series from the chart.
  • Select units: You can select the display in billions of nominal (i.e. inflated) dollars, billions of real (i.e. year 2005) dollars, or as percent of GDP.
  • Choose chart features: You can select the size of the chart, switch from bar chart to line chart, select color or black and white, stacked or not. You can also blow up the chart to fill the screen with the “fullsize” tab control above the chart display.

Download Data

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Download Data File

 

Click button to download CSV file of dataset in chart.
 

Download Tab-delimited Data

Copy and Paste: To copy and paste data into spreadsheet for analysis, just copy the tab-delimited text in the textbox below (click cursor in text box, then press ctrl-A then press ctrl-C) and paste it into your spreadsheet.

View Data Series

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Below is a formatted version of the data displayed in the chart.

US Government Spending As Percent Of GDP
Fiscal Years 1903 to 2010
YearGDP-US
$ billion nominal
Population-US
million
Total Spending -total
percent GDP
1903MW gdp80.7016.79i
1904MW gdp82.2557.29i
1905MW gdp83.8396.90i
1906MW gdp85.4536.80i
1907MW gdp87.0996.62i
1908MW gdp88.7767.89i
1909MW gdp90.4867.84i
1910MW gdp92.2298.03i
1911MW gdp93.5238.30i
1912MW gdp94.8368.10i
1913MW gdp96.1678.21a
1914MW gdp97.5169.56i
1915MW gdp98.8859.81i
1916MW gdp100.2738.21i
1917MW gdp101.6809.49i
1918MW gdp103.10722.10i
1919MW gdp104.55429.31i
1920MW gdp106.02212.82i
1921MW gdp107.62614.30i
1922MW gdp109.25412.66a
1923MW gdp110.90811.27i
1924MW gdp112.58611.48i
1925MW gdp114.29011.44i
1926MW gdp116.01911.12i
1927MW gdp117.77511.74a
1928MW gdp119.55711.75i
1929MW gdp121.36611.27i
1930MW gdp123.20313.07i
1931MW gdp124.07115.91i
1932MW gdp124.94521.19a
1933MW gdp125.82522.38i
1934MW gdp126.71219.40a
1935MW gdp127.60520.17i
1936MW gdp128.50420.00a
1937MW gdp129.41018.73i
1938MW gdp130.32120.53a
1939MW gdp131.24020.66i
1940MW gdp132.16520.14a
1941MW gdp133.96619.22i
1942MW gdp135.79228.15a
1943MW gdp137.64346.68i
1944MW gdp139.51950.02a
1945MW gdp141.42152.99i
1946MW gdp143.34935.87a
1947MW gdp145.30323.65i
1948MW gdp147.28320.47a
1949MW gdp149.29123.47i
1950MW gdp151.32623.95a
1951MW gdp153.91722.38i
1952MW gdp156.55227.88a
1953MW gdp159.23229.02a
1954MW gdp161.95829.27a
1955MW gdp164.73126.70a
1956MW gdp167.55126.47a
1957MW gdp170.42027.21a
1958MW gdp173.33728.84a
1959MW gdp176.30528.77a
1960MW gdp179.32328.74a
1961MW gdp181.58830.25a
1962MW gdp183.88128.94i
1963MW gdp186.20428.71i
1964MW gdp188.55528.50i
1965MW gdp190.93726.96i
1966MW gdp193.34827.45i
1967MW gdp195.79029.80i
1968MW gdp198.26330.47i
1969MW gdp200.76630.08i
1970MW gdp203.30231.00i
1971MW gdp205.51531.49i
1972MW gdp207.75231.36i
1973MW gdp210.01329.74i
1974MW gdp212.29930.23i
1975MW gdp214.60933.62i
1976MW gdp216.94534.00i
1977MW gdp219.30732.91i
1978MW gdp221.69432.02i
1979MW gdp224.10731.48i
1980MW gdp226.54633.72i
1981MW gdp228.67034.32i
1982MW gdp230.81536.25i
1983MW gdp232.97936.31i
1984MW gdp235.16434.44i
1985MW gdp237.36935.48i
1986MW gdp239.59535.71i
1987MW gdp241.84235.09i
1988MW gdp244.11034.73i
1989MW gdp246.39934.74i
1990MW gdp248.71036.01i
1991MW gdp251.80237.22i
1992MW gdp254.93337.04a
1993MW gdp258.10336.31a
1994MW gdp261.31235.38a
1995MW gdp264.56135.54a
1996MW gdp267.85034.69a
1997MW gdp271.18033.77a
1998MW gdp274.55233.24a
1999MW gdp277.96632.65a
2000MW gdp282.17232.56a
2001MW gdp285.08233.33i
2002MW gdp287.80434.75a
2003MW gdp290.32635.32i
2004MW gdp293.04634.86a
2005MW gdp295.50734.84a
2006MW gdp298.10935.13a
2007MW gdp300.73335.10a
2008MW gdp303.38037.37a
2009MW gdp306.05142.73a
2010MW gdp308.74641.01a

Legend:
i - interpolated between actual reported values
a - actual reported

Data Sources for 2010:
GDP: Measuring Worth - US GDP
Federal: Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial Times to 1970
State and Local: Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial Times to 1970
GDP: Measuring Worth - US GDP
Federal: Fed. Budget: Hist. Tables 3.2, 5.1, 7.1
State and Local: State and Local Gov. Finances
Guesstimated” by projecting the latest change in reported spending forward to future years

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> State GDP CY12

> data update schedule.

Data Sources for 1903_2010:

Sources for 1903:

GDP: Measuring Worth - US GDP
Federal: Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial Times to 1970
State and Local: Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the US, Colonial Times to 1970

Sources for 2010:

GDP: Measuring Worth - US GDP
Federal: Fed. Budget: Hist. Tables 3.2, 5.1, 7.1
State and Local: State and Local Gov. Finances
Guesstimated” by projecting the latest change in reported spending forward to future years

> data sources for other years
> data update schedule.

State and Local Spending for Individual States from 1957 to 1991

On June 15, 2013 usgovernmentspending.com loaded state and local spending and revenue for individual states going back to 1957.

Up to now, we have provided state and local finances from the present back to 1992 using data provided by the Census Bureau here.  But the Census Bureau also has data on individual states going back to 1957 here in file Govt_Finances.zip.

There is a break in data series at 1991-92.  The Census Bureau prior to 1992 has fewer line items than the post-1992 data.  There is also a break at 1976-77.  The Census Bureau prior to 1977 has fewer line items than the post-1977 data.    Typically, the data in reports for earlier years is reported in an aggregate item that sums up the detailed items in the more recent data reports.

These breaks in data have produced "notches" in some of the data series, and we have done some "juggle-ology" to produce smoother data series, as detailed below.

One problem in the pre-1992 data is that Medicaid is not broken out of welfare.  Up to now, for pre 1992 years we have estimated Medicaid expenses for all states combined based upon the assumption that the intergovernmental transfers to health care all apply to Medicaid and can be subtracted from the gross welfare expenditures to produce welfare net of Medicaid.  For each state, therefore, we have broken down pre-1992 gross welfare expenditures  between net welfare and Medicaid based upon the overall ratio for all states between net welfare (gross welfare less health care intergovernmental transfer) and Medicaid (health care intergovernmental transfer).

Another problem that the pre-1992 data seems to include judicial and legal system expenditures under "General Control" in the "General Government" category.  Data since 1992 has separate data series for judicial and legal system expenditures and we showed it under "Protection" in the default data view.  We have therefore created a new "default" view with judicial and legal system expenditures included under "General Government."  The old default view -- now labeled "old" -- has the judicial and legal system expenditures included under "Protection."  Typically, any links you have saved previous to June 15, 2013 will categorize data under the old default view.  New links will use the new default view, unless you select the old default view.

For 1958-60 combined state-and-local data only is reported in the Census Bureau data. So we have estimated state data and local data by interpolation from 1957 and 1961.

Spend links

us numbersus budgetcustom chartdeficit/gdpspend/gdpdebt/gdpus gdpus real gdpstate gdpbreakdownfederalstatelocal200920102011californiatexas

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usgovernmentspending.com was designed and executed by:

Christopher Chantrill.

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