Review of Federal Funding to Florida - Office of Economic ...

within Glades County to a high of $15,417 within Okaloosa County.
Office of Economic and Demographic Research
Per capita direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability varied from a low of $1,837
within Glades County to a high of $6,437 within Lake County. Per capita direct payments to
individuals other than for retirement and disability ranged from a low of $483 within Miami-Dade
County to a high of $3,717 within Okeechobee County.
Again excluding Leon County from consideration, per capita grants varied from a low of $336
within Osceola County to a high of $3,547 within Jackson County. Of the twenty county geographic
areas having the highest per capita grants figures, fifteen are less populated, rural areas in the
northwest and north central regions of the state, which demonstrates the relative importance of
federal grants as a revenue source to these areas.
Per capita procurement contracts varied from a low of $18 within Dixie County to a high of $4,647
within Brevard County. Per capita salary and wage payments ranged from a low of $70 within Dixie
County to a high of $6,343 within Walton County. Federal procurement spending associated with
NASA and salary and wage spending associated with Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida are
factors in Brevard and Walton counties’ high per capita dollar figures, respectively.
3. Federal Direct Expenditures by Category as a Percentage of Total
Table 2-3 on pages 36-37 provides a county-by-county list of federal direct expenditures by
category as a percentage of total federal expenditures for the county. A number of factors explain
differences in counties’ proportional shares attributable to each expenditure category. For example,
the relative share attributable to federal direct payments to individuals was generally highest in
counties with large elderly and civilian and military retiree populations, such as Clay, Flagler, and
Lake; or with proportionately larger populations receiving certain payments other than for retirement
and disability, such as Broward, De Soto, and Okeechobee. Excluding Leon County, the relative
share attributable to federal grants was highest in less populated, rural county areas such as Gadsden,
Jefferson, and Madison. The relative share attributable to federal procurement was high in counties
such as Brevard, Okaloosa, and Orange, which are engaged in significant military and space-related
contracting. The relative share attributable to federal salary and wage payments was generally
highest in those areas, such as Okaloosa and Walton, where military installations are located.
E. Conclusion
The economic impact of federal direct expenditures varies significantly from one county to another
as illustrated by the tables in Appendix A, which summarize annual federal direct expenditures by
county geographic area from 1998 to 2009. Past changes in federal spending have had unequal
impacts on local economies. Consequently, this information should be useful to policy makers as
they assess the impact of future changes in federal direct expenditures on Florida’s local economies.
Review of Federal Funding to Florida in Fiscal Year 2009 31