Our federal budget represents a series of choices. Those choices should reflect our priorities as a nation. But do they?
How to use the calculator:
1. Use the drop-down to choose a location - city, state or congressional district (or keep United States).
2. Use the next drop-down to choose what program you'd cut funds from (nuclear weapons? deportations? prisons?)
3. Get your results, or use the Combine Trade-Offs tab (top) or the "edit" links to come up with different combinations.
Figures are updated at least annually. Last updated November 2023 with FY 2023 data, unless otherwise noted. Updated by Jyotsna Naidu and Ashik Siddique.
We generate trade-offs using enacted budget numbers as published by the White House Office of Management and Budget and costs published by various federal agencies. The localized numbers are calculated using our best approximation of individual income taxes paid by geographic area. These numbers are estimates only. For a full explanation of our sources and methodology, see the notes and sources page.
The numbers in Trade-Offs are projected total costs for a federal program through the end of the specified fiscal year. The numbers in the Cost of National Security counters are changing in real time to show how much has been spent on a program to date since the beginning of the fiscal year, unless otherwise specified.
