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

$11.25B

paid to vendors and others, FY19

$9.98B

to organizations we can name (89%)

$1.27B

to individuals and others, unnamed (11%)²

$6.91B

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, FY19

Education$4.00B36%
Transportation$1.54B14%
Revenue$1.42B13%
Human Services Assistance Payments$1.20B11%
Treasurer of State$764.8M7%
Iowa Lottery Authority$263.4M2%
Alcoholic Beverages$235.4M2%
Board of Regents$167.4M1%
Public Health$166.2M1%
Administrative Services$149.2M1%
Management$121.5M1%
Iowa Economic Development Authority$82.5M1%

Every agency

Agency	Paid	Individuals and others	Transfers
Education	$4.00B	$131.3M	$333K
Transportation	$1.54B	$332.8M	$21.5M
Revenue	$1.42B	$24.7M	$8.7M
Human Services Assistance Payments	$1.20B	$199.5M	$5.12B
Treasurer of State	$764.8M	$31.3M	$69.7M
Iowa Lottery Authority	$263.4M	$36.1M	$17.2M
Alcoholic Beverages	$235.4M	$75.5M	$67K
Board of Regents	$167.4M	$10.3M	$441.0M
Public Health	$166.2M	$31.0M	$35.3M
Administrative Services	$149.2M	$36.7M	$324.8M
Management	$121.5M	$10.7M	$601
Iowa Economic Development Authority	$82.5M	$16.4M	$360K
Natural Resources	$79.5M	$15.9M	$2.7M
Human Rights	$78.2M	$31.6M	$31K
Workforce Development	$74.0M	$30.8M	$397.1M
College Aid	$67.8M	$26.1M	$58K
Homeland Security and Emergency Management	$56.6M	$14.9M	$52K
State Accounting Trust Accounts	$48.5M	$5.9M	$268.0M
IPERS	$43.2M	$17.9M	$155.6M
State Public Defender	$40.4M	$22.4M	$19K
Attorney General	$39.1M	$14.8M	$1.8M
Chief Information Officer	$29.5M	$14.3M	$69K
Agriculture and Land Stewardship	$29.2M	$14.6M	$305K
Public Safety	$29.0M	$10.2M	$30.8M
Regents, Capital Expenditures	$27.1M	$0	$0
Iowa Communications Network	$26.3M	$3.6M	$298K
Iowa Department on Aging	$25.7M	$7.4M	$35K
Public Defense	$25.4M	$4.9M	$928K
Corn Promotion Board	$23.7M	$0	$0
Human Services Administration	$23.4M	$5.6M	$137K
General Services Capitals	$23.3M	$3.8M	$0
Vocational Rehabilitation	$23.3M	$8.6M	$483K
Soybean Promotion Board	$22.0M	$0	$0
CBC District V	$21.8M	$0	$0
Human Services Community Serv	$21.1M	$3.0M	$133K
Corrections Industries	$18.6M	$7.5M	$897K
CBC District I	$14.9M	$0	$0
CBC Dictrict VI	$14.8M	$0	$0
Human Services Woodward	$13.3M	$5.6M	$844K
Finance Authority	$12.5M	$86K	$64K
Corrections Iowa Medical and Classification Center	$11.6M	$1.1M	$1.4M
CBC Dictrict II	$11.5M	$0	$0
Racing Commission - Inspect and Appeals	$11.5M	$4.1M	$35K
Iowa Veterans Home	$9.3M	$1.5M	$2.7M
Corrections Central Office	$9.0M	$469K	$32K
CBC District VIII	$8.2M	$0	$0
CBC District VII	$7.8M	$7.8M	$0
State Fair Capitals	$7.7M	$7.7M	$0
Human Services Glenwood	$7.6M	$2.4M	$2.0M
Transportation, Capitals	$7.3M	$1.4M	$0
CBC District III	$7.2M	$0	$0
Education, Iowa Public Tv	$6.0M	$4.0M	$59K
CBC District IV	$5.7M	$0	$0
Cultural Affairs	$5.4M	$2.3M	$135K
Corrections Fort Madison	$5.1M	$3.5M	$740K
Corrections Newton	$4.2M	$1.8M	$649K
State Fair	$4.2M	$4.2M	$0
Insurance	$3.9M	$1.1M	$90K
Corrections Anamosa	$3.6M	$1.7M	$1.5M
Corrections Clarinda	$3.4M	$1.1M	$808K
Human Services Capitals	$3.3M	$859	$1,110
Corrections Mitchellville	$3.1M	$535K	$792K
Corrections Mt Pleasant	$3.0M	$1.5M	$716K
Secretary of State	$2.8M	$635K	$187K
Human Services Independence	$2.8M	$713K	$232K
Executive Council	$2.7M	$1.4M	$0
Corrections Fort Dodge	$2.6M	$943K	$2.4M
Treasurer of State Ust	$2.4M	$986K	$0
Utilities	$2.4M	$316K	$40K
Inspections and Appeals	$2.3M	$881K	$110K
Public Defense, Capitals	$2.1M	$308K	$0
Gov Off.of Drug Ctrl Policy	$2.0M	$265K	$3,843
Human Services Cherokee	$1.9M	$416K	$336K
Veterans Affairs	$1.8M	$362K	$60K
Ag- Cattle Promotion Board	$1.7M	$0	$0
Corrections Rockwell City	$1.7M	$545K	$418K
Department for the Blind	$1.6M	$627K	$160K
Legislative Capital	$1.5M	$1.2M	$0
DHS Trng School Eldora	$1.4M	$417K	$403K
Judicial Capitals	$1.4M	$0	$0
Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders	$1.2M	$677K	$62K
Ag- Egg Council	$1.1M	$0	$0
Banking	$958K	$732K	$109K
Auditor of State	$825K	$475K	$37K
Public Safety, Capitals	$759K	$38K	$0
Corrections Farm Account	$735K	$220K	$1,420
Law Enforcement Academy	$667K	$292K	$3,541
Ag- Loess Hills Soil	$490K	$490K	$0
Ag- Turkey Marketing Council	$372K	$0	$0
Credit Union	$227K	$178K	$0
Parole Board	$219K	$20K	$0
Governor	$198K	$17K	$34K
St Historical Society Capitals	$171K	$104K	$0
Board of Educational Examiners	$168K	$51K	$9,871
Consumer Advocate	$141K	$85K	$7,389
Public Employment Relations	$130K	$57K	$31K
Civil Rights Commission	$125K	$43K	$20K
Iowa Veterans Home Capitals	$118K	$0	$0
Education, Infrastructure	$91K	$0	$0
Professional Licensing/reg	$90K	$40K	$6,577
Corrections Capitals	$68K	$0	$0
Ethics and Campaign Disclosure	$42K	$2,376	$0
Trea of St Tobacco Settlement	$32K	$10K	$0
Public Information Board	$22K	$4,523	$0

By kind of spending, FY19

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

State Aid$4.49B40%
Refunds-Other$1.29B11%
Capitals$1.19B11%
Aid to Individuals$1.09B10%
Refunds-Local Option$849.5M8%
Prof & Scientific Services$359.0M3%
Outside Services$331.4M3%
Claims$315.6M3%
Intra-State Transfers$309.3M3%
Inventory$228.0M2%
Other Expenses & Obligations$111.4M1%
IT Outside Services$74.9M1%

Organizations paid the most, FY19

Dept Human Services-Modernization-Reg Fmap-Modernization-Reg FMAP$349.2M 3%
Des Moines Independent Community Schools$322.8M 3%
Wells Fargo Bank Na-Online Game Direct Costs$149.2M 1%
Cedar Rapids CSD$144.6M 1%
Sioux City Comm Sch Dist$140.9M 1%
Davenport Comm Sch Dist$137.5M 1%
Dept Human Services-Modernization-Ihwp Newly-Modernization-Ihwp Newly$122.8M 1%
Unitedhealthcare Plan of the River Valley Inc$109.8M 1%
Waterloo Comm Sch Dist$101.1M 1%
Area Education Agency 11$95.8M 1%
Iowa City Comm Sch Dist$90.1M 1%
Polk Co Treasurer$84.7M 1%
Dubuque Comm Sch Dist$83.3M 1%
Council Bluffs Comm Schl$82.0M 1%
Ankeny Comm Sch Dist$79.8M 1%
Waukee Comm Sch Dist$69.5M 1%
Cedar Rapids City of$66.6M 1%
Hawkins Construction Co$64.6M 1%
Amerigroup Iowa Inc$61.0M 1%
Peterson Contractors Inc$57.7M 1%

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

Payments to individuals and others

In FY19, $1.27B (11% 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 $384.0M 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.