I thought Econ teachers might like this interactive website. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and owner of the L.A. Clippers (A $2 billion purchase) has done a public service by harmonizing data from federal, state and local governments and putting it all on a website, USA Spending.gov (note that this interactive may move here this summer).

So, how did the federal government spend $3.85 trillion in FY2016? Note that on the website, you can scroll your mouse over the individual elements to get additional information.

The webpage also provides a map that shows the spending by state and has a search element to allow you to search by state. I wanted to check out Palo Alto, where our offices are located and unfortunately didn’t any data (remember that it is still in BETA). I will check back over the summer to see how the site is progressing.

Questions:

• What percentage of the budget is being spent on entitlements (will need to scroll over the items for a description)?
• What does the “Net Interest” item refer to? Who is the government paying interest to and for what purpose?
• How much of the budget is being spent on health related costs?
• What programs are covered under Income Security?
• What cost categories cover services for senior citizens? Which categories cover youth programs?
• Are you surprised by what the government spends money on? What surprises you?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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