U.S. Federal Research Funding by State
Every state in the nation receives federal research funding directly through individual and institutional grantees who perform research in the state, indirectly through businesses that receive vendor contracts and individual income tax contributions, and through ancillary benefits such as local industry innovation and growth. In FY 2023, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available, all 50 states received research and development funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Departments of Defense (DOD), Energy (DOE), Health & Human Services (HHS), and Agriculture (USDA). Nearly every state also received research funding from the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Commerce (DOC), Transportation (DOT), and Interior (DOI), as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Navigate the interactive map below to learn more about federal research funding in your community:
Note: The federal government incurs an obligation when it enters into a legally binding financial agreement (through contracts, loans, grants, etc.), usually over a specified time period of one to three years (Congressional Budget Office, 2021).
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development, FYs 2023–24. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25328/table/60
U.S. Federal Budget by Agency
According to a 2024 report by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, the US is the largest global performer of research and experimental development – exceeding China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and other global competitors. The source, performer, and total funding of R&D in the US has shifted historically over time; for example, President Ronald Reagan’s Administration oversaw historic increases in defense R&D in response to the Cold War in the 1980s. Since the 1960s, federal investment in R&D has fallen (comprising less than 1% of GDP in recent years), while industry investment in R&D has sharply risen, both in total dollars and as a share of GDP (comprising more than 2% of GDP in recent years). Today, total R&D expenditures by industry, the federal government, non-profits, and institutions of higher education, total more than 3.5% of GDP. Navigate the AAAS Federal R&D Budget Dashboard below to learn more about R&D funding trends over time:
Source: Association for the Advancement of Science, Federal R&D Budget Dashboard