State budget

State checkbook

What state agencies paid out, added up by agency, by kind of spending and by the organizations paid. From the state’s own checkbook, FY14 to FY26.¹ The state budget · The source data

$9.87B

paid to vendors and others, FY15

$8.35B

to organizations we can name (85%)

$1.53B

to individuals and others, unnamed (15%)²

$7.50B

more in transfers between state accounts³

Year by year

Payments to vendors and others by fiscal year, not counting transfers.

$17.02B

Show the numbers

Year	Paid	Individuals and others	Transfers
FY26	$17.02B	$1.24B	$9.20B
FY25	$13.40B	$1.24B	$12.41B
FY24	$13.10B	$1.17B	$11.38B
FY23	$13.05B	$1.19B	$9.89B
FY22	$13.68B	$1.57B	$8.57B
FY21	$12.46B	$1.36B	$8.64B
FY20	$11.09B	$1.18B	$8.87B
FY19	$11.25B	$1.27B	$6.91B
FY18	$10.34B	$1.34B	$7.32B
FY17	$10.20B	$1.26B	$7.34B
FY16	$10.24B	$1.43B	$7.59B
FY15	$9.87B	$1.53B	$7.50B
FY14	$9.42B	$1.61B	$6.83B

By agency, FY15

Education$3.66B37%
Transportation$1.45B15%
Revenue$1.17B12%
Treasurer of State$617.8M6%
Human Services Assistance Payments$560.4M6%
Homeland Security and Emergency Management$307.2M3%
Alcoholic Beverages$190.1M2%
Iowa Economic Development Authority$154.3M2%
Public Health$146.5M1%
Board of Regents$135.0M1%
Management$125.3M1%
Administrative Services$124.8M1%

Every agency

Agency	Paid	Individuals and others	Transfers
Education	$3.66B	$176.3M	$251K
Transportation	$1.45B	$256.4M	$45.0M
Revenue	$1.17B	$25.9M	$3.8M
Treasurer of State	$617.8M	$29.0M	$67.2M
Human Services Assistance Payments	$560.4M	$226.3M	$5.46B
Homeland Security and Emergency Management	$307.2M	$52.0M	$121K
Alcoholic Beverages	$190.1M	$104.1M	$28K
Iowa Economic Development Authority	$154.3M	$22.3M	$146K
Public Health	$146.5M	$55.2M	$43.0M
Board of Regents	$135.0M	$10.2M	$501.0M
Management	$125.3M	$10.4M	$58
Administrative Services	$124.8M	$99.8M	$3.5M
Natural Resources	$85.4M	$23.2M	$2.4M
State Accounting Trust Accounts	$82.5M	$42.9M	$723.0M
Human Rights	$78.4M	$43.7M	$1,625
College Aid	$77.2M	$29.6M	$74K
Attorney General	$73.3M	$59.6M	$1.5M
IPERS	$62.2M	$37.6M	$145.4M
Workforce Development	$57.5M	$10.1M	$434.1M
Iowa Lottery Authority	$52.1M	$33.3M	$27.0M
General Services Capitals	$36.0M	$7.2M	$0
State Public Defender	$34.8M	$23.2M	$21K
Agriculture and Land Stewardship	$32.1M	$17.7M	$224K
Regents, Capital Expenditures	$28.4M	$0	$0
Human Services Community Serv	$27.7M	$8.3M	$171K
Iowa Department on Aging	$26.8M	$7.6M	$84K
Public Defense	$25.3M	$5.2M	$811K
Soybean Promotion Board	$24.5M	$0	$0
Iowa Communications Network	$23.2M	$8.4M	$35K
Finance Authority	$23.2M	$165K	$0
Public Safety	$23.1M	$6.5M	$24.7M
Vocational Rehabilitation	$21.5M	$8.8M	$446K
CBC District V	$20.5M	$0	$0
Corn Promotion Board	$19.3M	$0	$0
Chief Information Officer	$18.9M	$5.7M	$91K
Human Services Capitals	$18.7M	$95K	$2,571
Human Services Administration	$16.6M	$3.3M	$164K
Corrections Industries	$16.1M	$5.3M	$464K
CBC Dictrict VI	$15.0M	$0	$0
CBC District I	$14.8M	$0	$0
Human Services Woodward	$13.1M	$6.7M	$497K
CBC Dictrict II	$11.5M	$0	$0
Corrections Iowa Medical and Classification Center	$11.3M	$7.1M	$811K
Iowa Veterans Home	$11.2M	$2.1M	$2.1M
Treasurer of State Ust	$9.4M	$2.8M	$0
Corrections Central Office	$9.1M	$314K	$10K
Transportation, Capitals	$8.7M	$2.3M	$0
CBC District VIII	$8.2M	$0	$0
Human Services Glenwood	$8.2M	$4.1M	$977K
CBC District VII	$8.1M	$8.1M	$0
CBC District III	$7.4M	$0	$0
Utilities	$6.5M	$353K	$0
Education, Iowa Public Tv	$6.1M	$4.2M	$0
Corrections Capitals	$5.8M	$1.6M	$0
CBC District IV	$5.6M	$0	$0
Public Defense, Capitals	$5.1M	$3.0M	$0
Cultural Affairs	$4.9M	$2.2M	$135K
Corrections Fort Madison	$4.6M	$2.1M	$995K
Corrections Newton	$3.7M	$1.5M	$357K
State Fair	$3.6M	$3.6M	$0
Corrections Anamosa	$3.5M	$1.9M	$2.0M
Corrections Clarinda	$3.2M	$1.2M	$396K
Insurance	$3.0M	$578K	$0
Human Services Independence	$2.9M	$977K	$156K
Corrections Mitchellville	$2.8M	$617K	$482K
Corrections Mt Pleasant	$2.7M	$1.3M	$495K
Corrections Fort Dodge	$2.6M	$987K	$1.5M
Inspections and Appeals	$2.2M	$1.2M	$50K
Department for the Blind	$2.2M	$852K	$211K
Gov Off.of Drug Ctrl Policy	$2.1M	$187K	$0
Human Services Cherokee	$1.9M	$1.1M	$209K
Corrections Rockwell City	$1.7M	$745K	$187K
Racing Commission - Inspect and Appeals	$1.6M	$245K	$13K
DHS Trng School Eldora	$1.5M	$274K	$345K
Veterans Affairs	$1.5M	$218K	$132K
Ag- Egg Council	$1.2M	$0	$0
Corrections Farm Account	$1.2M	$528K	$0
Banking	$994K	$583K	$160K
Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders	$964K	$713K	$29K
Iowa Veterans Home Capitals	$914K	$180K	$11K
State Fair Capitals	$825K	$825K	$0
Secretary of State	$785K	$129K	$78K
Auditor of State	$763K	$467K	$30K
Law Enforcement Academy	$655K	$295K	$0
Human Services Clarinda	$622K	$254K	$33K
Ag- Loess Hills Soil	$600K	$600K	$0
Executive Council	$571K	$280K	$0
Trea of St Tobacco Settlement	$540K	$222K	$0
DHS Juv. Home Toledo	$380K	$214K	$0
Human Services Mt Pleasant	$379K	$210K	$40K
Ag- Turkey Marketing Council	$314K	$0	$0
Professional Licensing/reg	$249K	$141K	$0
Governor	$227K	$26K	$25K
Civil Rights Commission	$177K	$81K	$2,132
Parole Board	$150K	$11K	$0
Credit Union	$147K	$127K	$0
Public Safety, Capitals	$101K	$0	$0
Public Employment Relations	$101K	$57K	$3,724
Consumer Advocate	$88K	$66K	$801
Ethics and Campaign Disclosure	$21K	$3,710	$0
Public Information Board	$12K	$12K	$0
Education, Infrastructure	$1,800	$0	$0

By kind of spending, FY15

The state’s expense categories. “Aid to individuals” and “State aid” are money passed on to people, schools and local governments.

State Aid$4.55B46%
Capitals$1.17B12%
Refunds-Other$905.1M9%
Refunds-Local Option$777.3M8%
Aid to Individuals$402.4M4%
Intra-State Transfers$382.0M4%
Prof & Scientific Services$366.9M4%
Outside Services$321.6M3%
Inventory$185.4M2%
Other Expenses & Obligations$103.6M1%
Claims$86.0M1%
Outside Repairs/service$65.8M1%

Organizations paid the most, FY15

Des Moines Independent Community Schools$274.3M 3%
University of Iowa$184.5M 2%
Cedar Rapids CSD$133.5M 1%
Sioux City Comm Sch Dist$130.2M 1%
Davenport Comm Sch Dist$128.3M 1%
Peterson Contractors Inc$114.7M 1%
Cedar Rapids City of$97.6M 1%
Waterloo Comm Sch Dist$94.2M 1%
Area Education Agency 11$83.6M 1%
Dubuque Comm Sch Dist$80.5M 1%
Hawkins Construction Co$78.8M 1%
Iowa City Comm Sch Dist$76.7M 1%
Council Bluffs Comm Schl$72.5M 1%
Wellmark Health Plan Ia$70.9M 1%
Ankeny Comm Sch Dist$62.1M 1%
Manatts Inc$60.4M 1%
Polk Co Treasurer$59.6M 1%
Des Moines City of$56.9M 1%
West Des Moines Comm SD$52.9M 1%
Southeast Polk Comm SD$51.5M 1%

Share of all payments that year. Every agency’s payments added together.

Payments to individuals and others

In FY15, $1.53B (15% of payments) went to payees that aren’t named here: people, and payees whose names don’t show they’re an organization. The state also lists $437.0M of its transfers and other entries under RESTRICTED payees.⁴

Notes

The executive branch’s central accounting system only. It leaves out the Legislature and the courts, and spending recorded in other systems. A fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30, plus payments made in July and August for goods and services received by June 30. Refunds and voided payments count as negative amounts. ↩
Iowa Funnel names a payee only when its name shows it is an organization: a company (Inc, LLC, Corp and the like), a government, a school district, a college, a hospital, a bank, a church or another institution. Payments to everyone else are added into one total for each agency and year. Their names aren’t kept or searchable. When we can’t tell, a payee counts with individuals, so that total also holds some businesses. ↩
The state marks some entries as not a payment to an outside vendor: transfers between state accounts, payroll deductions and similar entries. They count in an agency’s total but not under any payee. ↩
The state removes names it must keep confidential under state or federal law and lists them as RESTRICTED. Among payments to vendors, they count with individuals here; most are recorded as transfers and other entries. Some payments are only recorded as totals in the state’s accounting system, such as Medicaid, IPERS pensions, unemployment benefits and tax refunds, so the people paid aren’t listed at all. ↩

Sources: State of Iowa Executive Branch Checkbook on the Iowa Data Hub (Iowa Department of Administrative Services): the full ledger (dataset 1021), its yearly files, and the last 90 days (1076) for the year still open.