Federal Budget Cuts Could Hamper Growth in Some Metro Areas

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Chris Chmura

The map below shows non-defense contract spending by MSA from FY 2000 to 2015. The circles are proportional (i.e., they are scaled to the value of defense contracts in that MSA). Beginning in FY 2001, the color of each circle indicates whether non-defense contract spending in the MSA declined (red) or increased (green) from a year earlier. The map can be manually advanced or will advance automatically when you click on “Play.”

The table below the map shows DoD contract spending in the top 100 MSAs and updates each time a new fiscal year is selected.

To learn more about Chmura’s expertise and research regarding defense spending and supply chain mapping, contact us here.

  • Non-DoD Contract
    Spending
    by MSA
  • FY2000
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014

Top 100 MSAs by Non-DoD Contract Spending
Rank MSA Spending in FY2000
(millions)
1 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA $9,900
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA MSA $1,022
3 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA MSA $1,013
4 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA $869
5 Knoxville, TN MSA $796
6 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA $778
7 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA $650
8 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI MSA $575
9 Kennewick-Richland, WA MSA $554
10 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA MSA $552
11 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA $543
12 Kansas City, MO-KS MSA $472
13 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA $441
14 Albuquerque, NM MSA $421
15 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA $420
16 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA $392
17 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MSA $362
18 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA $360
19 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA $318
20 Joplin, MO MSA $317
21 Pittsburgh, PA MSA $314
22 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA $298
23 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA $289
24 Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA $277
25 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA $270
26 New Orleans-Metairie, LA MSA $244
27 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA MSA $227
28 Amarillo, TX MSA $225
29 St. Louis, MO-IL MSA $216
30 Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA $208
31 Huntsville, AL MSA $202
32 Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA $200
33 Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA $188
34 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA $176
35 Boulder, CO MSA $155
36 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MSA $153
37 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA $149
38 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA $147
39 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA $134
40 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN MSA $134
41 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL MSA $122
42 Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA MSA $118
43 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA $102
44 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA $96
45 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA $94
46 Lynchburg, VA MSA $93
47 Johnson City, TN MSA $80
48 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA $78
49 Oklahoma City, OK MSA $72
50 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA $72
51 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA $71
52 New Haven-Milford, CT MSA $69
53 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN MSA $66
54 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI MSA $62
55 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA $61
56 Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA $60
57 Cedar Rapids, IA MSA $57
58 Lafayette, LA MSA $57
59 Brunswick, GA MSA $56
60 Richmond, VA MSA $55
61 Columbus, OH MSA $55
62 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI MSA $54
63 Jackson, MS MSA $53
64 Pittsfield, MA MSA $52
65 Anchorage, AK MSA $51
66 Boise City, ID MSA $50
67 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA $50
68 Madison, WI MSA $50
69 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA MSA $47
70 Salt Lake City, UT MSA $46
71 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA $46
72 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY MSA $46
73 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA MSA $46
74 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA $46
75 Fresno, CA MSA $45
76 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA $45
77 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA MSA $44
78 Tucson, AZ MSA $44
79 Iowa City, IA MSA $44
80 Green Bay, WI MSA $43
81 Tuscaloosa, AL MSA $43
82 Idaho Falls, ID MSA $43
83 Dayton, OH MSA $42
84 Fayetteville, NC MSA $39
85 Muskegon, MI MSA $39
86 Modesto, CA MSA $39
87 Morgantown, WV MSA $38
88 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI MSA $37
89 Merced, CA MSA $34
90 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA MSA $34
91 Ann Arbor, MI MSA $32
92 Trenton, NJ MSA $31
93 Urban Honolulu, HI MSA $31
94 Tulsa, OK MSA $31
95 Columbia, SC MSA $30
96 Wichita, KS MSA $30
97 Ogden-Clearfield, UT MSA $30
98 Santa Fe, NM MSA $30
99 Yakima, WA MSA $29
100 Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA $29
Source: Chmura Economics & Analytics

The federal government spends billions of dollars buying goods and services from private sector firms each year.

Just as the fortunes of businesses dependent on federal spending ebb and flow with federal budgets, so do the budgets of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) where those employers are concentrated.

Although non-defense contract spending has supported economic growth in many MSAs over the past decade, contract spending by federal agencies besides the Department of Defense will decline when budget reform becomes a priority. When that happens, MSAs whose budgets are more dependent on that spending may experience shortfalls.

In the fiscal year (FY) that ended on September 30, 2015,[1] federal contracts decreased by $5 billion or 1.2%. Sixty-four percent of the purchases made in the most recent fiscal year were driven by the Defense Department.[2] While the majority of federal contract awards support the Defense Department, numerous other federal agencies enter contracts to purchase goods and services.

For example, the Department of Health and Human Services contracts with pharmaceutical companies to produce vaccines and the Department of Energy awards contracts for, among other things, research and development.

Non-Defense Department contract spending advanced at a modest 32% from FY 2005 to 2010 compared with a 49% gain in Defense Department contract spending over the same period. The non-defense spending was particularly strong, jumping by $30 billion from FY 2008 through 2010, as fiscal policy expanded in response to the recession.

After peaking at $152.9 billion in FY 2010, annual non-defense contract spending has declined by only 1%. That compares with a 19.4% drop in Defense Department contract spending after it peaked at $336.7 billion in FY 2009. Annual non-defense contract spending, which peaked at $152.9 billion in FY 2010, hovered around $145 billion from FY 2011 to 2014 before inching up to $151.2 billion in FY 2015.

U.S. Defense and Non-Defense Contract Spending U.S. Defense and Non-Defense Contract Spending

Over the entire ten-year period from FY 2005 to 2015, non-defense contract spending increased $35.2 billion or 30.3%. This represents a 2.7% average annual increase compared with a 1.9% increase in defense contract spending over the same period. The five largest increases in spending from FY 2005 to 2015 occurred in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with populations of at least 2.5 million. On a per capita basis, however, nine of the ten largest increases in non-defense contract spending were in MSAs with populations of less than 1,000,000.

Non-DoD contract spending increased $3,554 per capita from FY 2005 to 2015 in the Idaho Falls MSA. Battelle Energy Alliance operates Idaho National Laboratory, a Government-owned, contractor-operated facility conducting nuclear energy research for the Department of Energy in the Idaho Falls MSA.

On a per-capita basis, non-DoD contract spending increased $3,214 from FY 2005 to 2015 in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula MSA. This region is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center, a NASA rocket testing facility. Contractors including Computer Sciences Corporation and HP Enterprise Services perform work at Stennis Space Center.

From FY 2005 to 2015, non-DoD contract spending in the East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania MSA rose $3,118 on a per capita basis. Global pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur received large contracts from the Department of Health and Human Services to produce vaccines in its Swiftwater, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility.

Non-Defense Contract Gains by MSA, FY 2005 to 2015
MSA Total Non-Defense Contract Gains FY 2005 to 2015
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA $16,814,165,419
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA $2,718,937,331
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA $2,561,989,563
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA $1,793,736,449
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA $1,526,046,564
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA $1,475,297,394
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS MSA $1,251,186,212
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA $734,444,088
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA $719,503,522
East Stroudsburg, PA MSA $518,907,310
Idaho Falls, ID MSA $496,698,414
Huntsville, AL MSA $485,735,682
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA $479,553,829
Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA $478,263,087
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN MSA $467,981,002
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA MSA $459,152,692
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA $442,855,923
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA $402,595,975
Pittsburgh, PA MSA $390,683,897
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA $383,699,861
 
Non-Defense Contract Gains per Capita by MSA, FY 2005 to 2015
MSA Total Non-Defense Contract Gains FY 2005 to 2015 $ Gain per Capita
Idaho Falls, ID MSA $496,698,414 $3,554
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS MSA $1,251,186,212 $3,214
East Stroudsburg, PA MSA $518,907,310 $3,118
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA $16,814,165,419 $2,757
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA $1,475,297,394 $2,670
Coeur d'Alene, ID MSA $356,418,728 $2,371
Kennewick-Richland, WA MSA $340,687,406 $1,221
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA $719,503,522 $1,219
Houma-Thibodaux, LA MSA $243,455,945 $1,147
Huntsville, AL MSA $485,735,682 $1,092
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA $2,718,937,331 $972
Manhattan, KS MSA $85,662,766 $869
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA $479,553,829 $844
Missoula, MT MSA $94,157,102 $825
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA $203,291,497 $777
Morgantown, WV MSA $100,274,121 $726
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA $402,595,975 $713
Hanford-Corcoran, CA MSA $101,700,075 $674
Fargo, ND-MN MSA $149,126,315 $638
Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA $277,034,010 $587
 
Non-Defense Contract Cuts by MSA, FY 2005 to 2015
MSA Total Non-Defense Contract Cuts FY 2005 to 2015
Albuquerque, NM MSA -$1,172,664,844
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA -$864,425,494
Amarillo, TX MSA -$856,455,560
Knoxville, TN MSA -$734,016,405
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA -$641,739,567
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA -$527,221,645
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA MSA -$383,575,742
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA -$363,333,301
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN MSA -$307,156,592
Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA -$290,371,099
 
Non-Defense Contract Cuts per Capita by MSA, FY 2005 to 2015
MSA Non-Defense Contract Cuts 2005 to 2015 $ Cuts Per Capita
Amarillo, TX MSA -$856,455,560 -$3,268
Albuquerque, NM MSA -$1,172,664,844 -$1,292
Knoxville, TN MSA -$734,016,405 -$852
Iowa City, IA MSA -$137,893,317 -$828
Albany, GA MSA -$113,479,615 -$739
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA -$641,739,567 -$728
Canton-Massillon, OH MSA -$190,377,222 -$472
Brunswick, GA MSA -$48,652,325 -$419
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA -$864,425,494 -$409
Jackson, MS MSA -$231,060,733 -$399

[1] The U.S. federal government’s fiscal year begins on October 1 of the previous calendar year and ends on September 30.

[2] Based on Chmura’s FedSpendTOP data that are derived from USASpending.gov data but provide a more accurate picture of federal spending based on the time and place of performance when compared with published federal awards data. The data are adjusted for the length of the contract as well as for an associated subcontract’s place of performance (i.e., regional spending is based on place of performance with out-of-region awards subcontracted into the area added in and in region awards subcontracted out of the region subtracted out); FedSpendTOP data also include purchases by non-DoD agencies which end up in DoD products and have been corrected for errors identified during Chmura’s quality control process.

This blog reflects Chmura staff assessments and opinions with the information available at the time the blog was written.