Key figures
- Revenue was $4.9 trillion and spending $6.8 trillion in fiscal year 2024, leaving a $1.8 trillion deficit.
- Individual income taxes ($2.4 trillion) and payroll taxes ($1.7 trillion) made up most of the revenue. Corporate income taxes added $530 billion.
- Social Security was the largest spending category at $1.5 trillion, followed by Defense ($1.3 trillion) and Transfers to States ($1.1 trillion).
- Net interest on debt ($878 billion) was slightly larger than National Defense ($877 billion) on the chart.
- The chart is by USAFacts and its source is the US Treasury Department.
The chart in text
The graphic is titled “How did the US federal government make and spend money in 2024?” with the subtitle “FY 2024 federal government revenue and spending”. It is a flow (Sankey) diagram: revenue sources on the left join into a $4.9T revenue bar, a hatched $1.8T deficit bar is added below it, and together they feed $6.8T of spending that splits into categories and programmes on the right. Blue marks revenue, pink marks spending, grey hatching marks the deficit and blue hatching marks negative spending.
Where the money came from
| Revenue source | Amount | Breakdown shown on the chart |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Income Taxes | $2.4T | |
| Payroll Taxes | $1.7T | Social Security Taxes $1.3T (Retirement $1.1T, Disability $186B); Medicare Taxes $393B; Unemployment Taxes $49.0B; Railroad Retirement Taxes $6.26B |
| Corporate Income Taxes | $530B | |
| Sales and Excise Taxes | $101B | Selective Sales Taxes $101B: Motor Fuel Taxes $40.7B, Other Selective Sales Taxes $32.4B, Tobacco Taxes $9.81B, Alcohol Taxes $9.39B, Corporate Stock Repurchase Excise Tax $9.09B |
| Customs Duties | $77.0B | |
| Estate and Gift Taxes | $31.6B | |
| Other Non-Tax Revenue | $31.2B | |
| Other Taxes | $9.75B | |
| Sales of Government Resources | $7.02B | Rents and Royalties $7.02B (Rents and Royalties OCS $7.02B) |
| Federal Reserve earnings | $4.02B |
Where the money went
| Spending category | Amount | Breakdown shown on the chart |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | $1.5T | Retirement (FOASI) $1.3T; Disability (FDI) $155B; Other Social Security $53.7B |
| Defense | $1.3T | National Defense $877B; Support for Veterans $323B; Foreign Affairs $71.9B; Immigration and Border Security $25.9B |
| Transfers to States | $1.1T | Standard of Living and Aid to the Disadvantaged $852B; Economy and Infrastructure $112B; Education $65.2B; Crime and Disaster $32.0B; Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency $14.7B; Health $13.4B; Support for Veterans $2.20B; Safeguarding Consumers and Employees $271M; Disability (FDI) $3.08M |
| Obligations | $973B | Net Interest on Debt $878B; Employee Retirement and Disability Benefits $213B; Contributions to Government Retirement and Disability -$111B; Employee Contributions for Retirement and Disability -$7.95B |
| Medicare | $874B | |
| Economy & Std of Living | $695B | Standard of Living and Aid to the Disadvantaged $458B; Economy and Infrastructure $149B; Health $88.0B |
| Other | $276B | Education $171B; Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency $87.0B; General Housing Support -$26.4B; GSE -$6.83B; Rural Housing -$210M |
| Safety | $105B | Crime and Disaster $95.0B; Safeguarding Consumers and Employees $10.2B |
The most detailed level, split between programmes run by the federal government and money passed to states:
| Item | Federal programmes | Transfers to states |
|---|---|---|
| Crime and Disaster | Disaster Relief $42.9B, Law Enforcement $23.9B, Justice System $19.2B, Corrections $9.05B | Disaster Relief $25.7B, Law Enforcement $5.98B, Justice System $390M |
| Safeguarding Consumers and Employees | Consumer Protection $7.46B, Employee Protection $2.60B, Other Business Regulation $369M, Patents and Copyrights -$224M | Employee Protection $207M, Consumer Protection $63.9M |
| Foreign Affairs | International Development and Humanitarian Assistance $37.3B, International Security Assistance $22.5B, Other Foreign Affairs $12.0B | |
| Support for Veterans | Veterans Pension & Disability Benefits $162B, Veterans Medical Care $116B, Other Veterans Services $31.3B, Veterans Readjustment Benefits $13.5B, Veterans Housing $639M | Veterans Medical Care $2.17B, Other Veterans Services $33.1M |
| Economy and Infrastructure | Transportation $40.1B, Banking and Finance $36.8B, Space $24.1B, Technology Infrastructure $18.0B, General science and basic research $17.4B, Community and Regional Development $4.87B, Postal Service $3.97B, General Commerce $3.73B | Transportation $95.5B, Community and Regional Development $12.2B, Technology Infrastructure $2.97B, Banking and Finance $968M |
| Health | Public Health $87.5B, Medicare and Medicaid Unallocable $427M, Other Health $351M, Other Medical Assistance to Persons -$233M | Public Health $13.4B, Other Medical Assistance to Persons $5.54M |
| Standard of Living and Aid to the Disadvantaged | Other $401B, Unemployment Insurance $31.9B, Housing Assistance $20.6B, Employment and Training $4.07B | Other $792B, Housing Assistance $49.5B, Unemployment Insurance $6.08B, Employment and Training $4.49B |
| Education | Higher Education $126B, Elementary and Secondary Education $40.6B, Education outside the Classroom $3.70B, Vocational Education $303M | Elementary and Secondary Education $61.6B, Vocational Education $1.87B, Education outside the Classroom $1.04B, Higher Education $677M |
| Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency | Environment and Natural Resources $44.7B, Agriculture $32.9B, Energy $9.42B | Environment and Natural Resources $11.5B, Energy $2.17B, Agriculture $982M |
The chart’s note reads: “The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Negative spending occurs when the government collects more money through a specific program or activity than it spends on that specific program or activity. For example, the federal government may have negative spending on patents and copyrights partly because the fees paid by applicants offset the costs of administering those intellectual property rights.” Source: US Treasury Department. Logo: USAFacts.
How the figures compare with the CBO
The Congressional Budget Office reports the same year as receipts of $4,919 billion, outlays of $6,752 billion and a deficit of $1,833 billion, equal to 6.4% of GDP. That matches the chart’s rounded $4.9T, $6.8T and $1.8T. The CBO says revenues rose 11% and outlays 10% on 2023, and that the deficit was $138 billion larger than in 2023 [2]. For interest, the CBO gives net outlays for interest on the public debt of $949 billion, up 34%. That is a different measure from the chart’s $878 billion “Net Interest on Debt” category, and the chart does not explain the gap [2].
Revenue in the following year
USAFacts reports that the federal government collected $5.26 trillion in fiscal year 2025, about $15,400 per person, with about 50.5% from individual income taxes and 33.6% from payroll taxes [3]. The proportions are close to the 2024 chart, where individual income and payroll taxes were also the two largest sources.
Notes on this infographic
- Fiscal year. FY 2024 ran from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, not the calendar year.
- Rounding. Values are rounded on the chart, so parts do not always add exactly to totals. Under Other, the printed items add to less than the $276B shown; we have transcribed them as printed.
- Negative spending. Items with a minus sign reduce spending in their category, as the chart’s note explains.
- Interest. The chart’s $878B and the CBO’s $949B are different measures of interest and should not be compared directly.
Questions about US federal revenue and spending in 2024
How much did the federal government spend in 2024?
About $6.8 trillion in fiscal year 2024, according to this chart. The CBO gives outlays of $6,752 billion [2].
How much revenue did the US government collect in 2024?
About $4.9 trillion, of which $2.4 trillion came from individual income taxes. The CBO figure is $4,919 billion [2].
Where does the federal government get its money?
Mostly from individual income taxes and payroll taxes, which together brought in about $4.1 trillion of the $4.9 trillion on this chart. Corporate taxes, excise taxes, customs duties, estate and gift taxes and non-tax income make up the rest.
Sources
- USAFacts, US government spending, budget, and financing (2024 government revenue and spending)
- Congressional Budget Office, Monthly Budget Review, Summary for Fiscal Year 2024
- USAFacts, How much money does the US federal government collect?
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
