Biggest recipients of federal contracts in every state
Biggest recipients of federal contracts in every state
The gig economy is turning everyone into a contractor, at least according to the Department of Labor. Long before Uber or Lyft was turning everyone and anyone into a taxi or delivery driver, the federal government was giving out billions of dollars to companies across the country. Instead of hiring more federal civilian workers in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas, the Trump administration's budget increases to the military and the Pentagon has led to a veritable gold rush of federal contracts.
These "contractors" are non-governmental workers and private companies who receive contracts from government agencies to provide products or services. They save the government money upfront by reducing demand on the federal workforce and resources. Some of the biggest contracting agencies are the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The companies contracted by these agencies bid on contracts by presenting proposals and pricing to the agency. Once these contracts, sometimes millions or billions of dollars, are given out companies develop cutting-edge new technology for the military, distribute medicine to veterans, track down people who haven't paid their student loans, and more.
Some contracts are specifically geared toward small businesses, but the biggest players are typically the defense contractors that develop weapons, vehicles, and technology for the military. Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin all consistently bring in billions in contracts and are often only competing amongst themselves for big-ticket projects. In 2017, Lockheed Martin brought in $50.7 billion in federal contracts, which is more than NASA's yearly budget, as reported by 24/7 Wall St. based on numbers from the Federal Procurement Data System.
All this money is being given out to companies across America, but these huge numbers can make it difficult to see who is benefiting the most from these contracts. Stacker used data from USA Spending to rank the top five federal contractors in every state, ordered by the amount they've been awarded in the trailing 12 months. We also included the percentage of total contract money for each ranking to provide additional context.
Lockheed Martin was the largest recipient in six states and made the top five in 14. Whether you want to see which companies in which states beat the king of the contractors or you're just curious about the top money-makers in your own state, read on.
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Alabama
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. The Boeing Company $2.19 billion (4.6% of total contracts)
#2. Austal Usa, LLC $2.03 billion (4.2% of total contracts)
#3. Science Applications International Corporation $598.85 million (1.2% of total contracts)
#4. M1 Support Services, L.P. $367.01 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#5. Torch Technologies, Inc. $339.08 million (0.7% of total contracts)
Boeing, the largest aerospace and airplane manufacturer in the world, takes home more federal contracts in Alabama than any other company. The company has a long history in the state, supporting NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and a major missile command center; currently Boeing's offices in Huntsville, Ala., are focused on improvements to a missile defense system for the Air Force, support services for Army Helicopters and managing the NASA's space launch system.
Second place Austal USA is a shipbuilding company working with the Navy to build the USS Cincinnati, though they are currently under investigation by the Navy for undisclosed reasons. Science Applications International Corporation is working to develop battlefield systems and technology while M1 Support Services works to maintain military aircraft and Torch Technologies supports a missile-modeling simulation.
Alaska
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Watterson Construction Company $115.15 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#2. Petro Star Inc. $107.03 million (1.2% of total contracts)
#3. Aecom Technical Services, Inc. $91.42 million (1% of total contracts)
#4. Neeser Construction, Inc. $88.04 million (1% of total contracts)
#5. Doyon Utilities, LLC $85.5 million (0.9% of total contracts)
Construction makes up a significant share of Alaska's federal contracts. Anchorage-based Watterson Construction Company completes commercial construction projects ranging from schools and office buildings to various military projects. Currently, they're working with several other Alaska-based construction companies to make sure Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks is ready to receive several F-35 fighter jets in 2020.
Neeser Construction, another firm headquartered in the state, is constructing two buildings for the Army Corps of Engineers at the Fort Greely Missile Defense Complex. Though Doyon Utilities only takes home the fifth-largest sum of federal contract money, the company's 50-year contract to provide utilities like heat, water, and power to three military bases in the state was the largest ever awarded by the Department of Defense.
Arizona
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Raytheon Company $3.52 billion (4.8% of total contracts)
#2. Triwest Healthcare Alliance Corp. $2.33 billion (3.2% of total contracts)
#3. The Boeing Company $2.17 billion (3% of total contracts)
#4. Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture $406.01 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#5. Orbital Sciences Corporation $295.96 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Raytheon, a defense contractor and weapons manufacturer, is the biggest private employer in Arizona, the biggest missile-maker in the world and one of the biggest defense contractors in the country. The weapons and technology manufacturer is involved in a number of multiyear government contracts, including providing hundreds of SM-6 and SM-3 missiles to the Navy. Raytheon has also teamed up with Lockheed Martin, another heavyweight defense contractor, to build the portable, one-man Javelin missiles for U.S. allies.
Outside of weapons and aerospace companies, Arizona is home to TriWest Healthcare Alliance, a company that works with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide health care to veterans across the country, despite an investigation that revealed it overcharged the federal government by tens of millions of dollars.
Arkansas
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Serco Inc. $136.22 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#2. Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc. $47.91 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#3. Central Research Inc $38.84 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Cgi Federal Inc. $37.77 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. At&T Corp. $35.06 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Serco Inc., a global service company, can boast a number of services that its employees have provided the federal government. They've laid 2 million feet of cable on Navy and Coast Guard ships and as of 2018, they're working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide additional support when natural disasters strike in 17 midwestern states.
Other federal contractors in the state also work to provide support to government agencies—administrative support that is. Central Research Inc. provides mail services, processes public records requests, and most importantly, collects on student loans in default.
California
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. McKesson Corporation $3.79 billion (1.3% of total contracts)
#2. California Institute Of Technology $3.50 billion (1.2% of total contracts)
#3. Health Net Federal Services, LLC $3.11 billion (1.1% of total contracts)
#4. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC $2.24 billion (0.8% of total contracts)
#5. Lockheed Martin Corporation $2.11 billion (0.7% of total contracts)
Health forms the cornerstone of California's federal contracts. Health Net provides health-care services to veterans in several states while McKesson Corporation is a pharmaceutical and health services company that distributes vaccines for the CDC and other drugs to the VA. It's recently come under fire for its role in the opioid epidemic.
Outside of health, government funds also help to run the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology. Caltech researchers can run NASA-sponsored research and programs out of the JPL, which focuses on building space-exploration robots like the Mars Rover.
Colorado
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $1.42 billion (3.5% of total contracts)
#2. United Launch Services, LLC $1.01 billion (2.5% of total contracts)
#3. Alliance For Sustainable Energy, LLC $544.42 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#4. Perspecta Risk Decision Inc. $522.2 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#5. Bechtel National, Inc. $502.76 million (1.2% of total contracts)
The largest federal contractor, aerospace company Lockheed Martin got its start in Colorado and continues to bring jobs and revenue to the state through huge government contracts. The company was recently awarded $22 billion to build a new generation of satellites for the Air Force and $2.9 billion to build three satellites that provide early warning for possible missile strikes. For those looking to go a little farther out into space, second-place recipient United Launch Services joined up with the Air Force to launch three space missions into orbit in 2021 and beyond.
Connecticut
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. United Technologies Corporation $4.78 billion (7.1% of total contracts)
#2. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation $2.84 billion (4.2% of total contracts)
#3. Electric Boat Corporation $2.04 billion (3% of total contracts)
#4. Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation $99.39 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Plowshare Group, Inc $66.54 million (0.1% of total contracts)
This large Connecticut-based conglomerate made news shortly after President Donald Trump's election when they struck a deal to save hundreds of jobs in an IN factory. The manufacturer later received several multibillion-dollar Air Force contracts from the administration without any competition, leading some to suspect that the Carrier deal may have been involved. Sikorsky, the next highest on the list, was previously owned by United Technologies. The helicopter company was sold to Lockheed Martin in 2015.
Delaware
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Navient Corporation $36.51 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#2. Helicopter Transport Services, LLC $26.28 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#3. Agilent Technologies, Inc. $16.42 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Billings Flying Service, Inc. $14.62 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Summit Aviation Inc $12.72 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Navient Corporation is the third-largest student loan servicer in the country, and oversees around a fourth of all student debt across the country. As the country's student debt crisis has gotten bigger—with current student debt totaling around $1.4 trillion dollars—Navient has come under fire for its practices. In 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a suit against the company alleging that it had forced students into plans that made them pay more money in the long run and generally failed them during the repayment process.
Florida
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $2.49 billion (1.4% of total contracts)
#2. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation $848.23 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#3. Lockheed Martin Corporation $656.35 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#4. Jacobs Technology Inc. $461.26 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. Harris Corporation $422.18 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Florida might be the theme-park capital of the United States, but Disney's Imagineers aren't the only engineers trying to go above and beyond. All five of Florida's top federal contractors are involved in developing and maintaining military technology and vehicles. Lockheed Martin has locked up contracts for maintaining their F-35 fighter jets and maintaining cybersecurity for the military among other lucrative deals. Northrop Grumman provides supplies and materials for its own aircraft, Harris Corporation will service radar-simulation systems and Jacobs Technology Inc. creates combat simulations.
Georgia
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $2.01 billion (3.1% of total contracts)
#2. Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation $305.67 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#3. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation $165.68 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#4. Datapath, Inc. $142.26 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation $136.97 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Similar to neighboring Florida, Lockheed Martin takes most of Georgia's federal contracts, with the 5,000 person plant in Marietta focused mostly on producing C-130 transport planes. It's a huge supporter of the region's economy and one of its largest employers. The plant recently won another five-year contract, this time to build C-5M Galaxy planes for the Air Force.
Hawaii
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Hensel Phelps Construction Co $161.52 million (1.4% of total contracts)
#2. Bae Systems Hawaii Shipyards Inc. $112.53 million (1.0% of total contracts)
#3. Manu Kai, LLC $58.73 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#4. Matson Navigation Company, Inc. $53.42 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#5. Syncon, LLC $44.35 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Given that Hawaii is surrounded by water, you'd assume that the ship repair and maintenance firm BAE Systems Hawaii Shipyards would have the highest demand from the federal government. They've been beaten out by a Honolulu-based construction company working to modify airfields in Hawaii and Guam and, in February 2018, construct a dental and mental health clinic at the Schofield Military Base in Honolulu.
Idaho
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC $2 billion (15.2% of total contracts)
#2. Fluor Idaho, LLC $498.36 million (3.8% of total contracts)
#3. Sunshine Minting, Inc. $144.52 million (1.1% of total contracts)
#4. Brad Hall & Associates, Inc. $38.64 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. Boise Mobile Equipment, Inc. $15.05 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Battelle Energy Alliance teamed up with the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to manage the Idaho National Laboratory, which conducts research into any and every aspect of nuclear energy. The next biggest recipient of federal funds, Fluor Idaho, is also funded by the DoE, but they're not working to develop nuclear technology. It's their job to clean up the nuclear waste at the “Idaho Site,” which has been hailed as the largest concentration of nuclear reactors in the world.
Illinois
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. UChicago Argonne, LLC $1.31 billion (1.6% of total contracts)
#2. Fermi Research Alliance, LLC $789.75 million (0.9% of total contracts)
#3. BP Products North America Inc. $519.46 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#4. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation $497.89 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#5. Cardinal Health 200, LLC $467.87 million (0.6% of total contracts)
Run out of the University of Chicago, one of the nation's highest-ranking research universities, the Argonne National Laboratory was originally created to allow physicist Enrico Fermi to continue his work on the Manhattan Project. Today, the nation's first national lab conducts research in a number of scientific fields, including computer science, biosciences, and nuclear science. Fermi's name and research similarly continues in another government contractor that bears his name. The company runs the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a particle physics lab that conducts a number of pioneering experiments.
Indiana
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Rolls-Royce Corporation $629.44 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#2. AM General LLC $474.48 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#3. National Government Services, Inc. $181.6 million (0.1% of total contracts)
#4. AmeriQual Group, LLC $166.45 million (0.1% of total contracts)
#5. Harris Corporation $124.05 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Car manufacturing forms a cornerstone of the Indiana economy, from the Indy 500 to their two largest federal contractors. In 2017, car manufacturer Rolls-Royce was awarded a $420 million contract to service engines for the Air Force and in early 2019, the company launched a campaign for a $1 billion contract to build new engines for an Air Force bomber fleet. Outside of the capital, AM General has been contracted to build over 700 Humvees for the National Guard.
Iowa
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Rockwell Collins, Inc. $585.58 million (2.5% of total contracts)
#2. Data Link Solutions L.L.C. $320.27 million (1.4% of total contracts)
#3. American Ordnance LLC $292.48 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#4. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation $142.66 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#5. PMX Industries, Inc. $113.19 million (0.5% of total contracts)
Aerospace company Rockwell Collins took home its first long-term defense contract in 2018 to supply next-generation radios to the Navy's planes, ships, and ground installations. It followed up with another five-year contract supporting "long-term readiness" for an Army helicopter fleet. Rockwell Collins, along with BAE Systems (another federal contractor), owns Data Link Solutions which produces battlefield communication radios for the U.S. and other allied countries. Helicopter company Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (owned by Lockheed Martin) joins American Ordnance, an ammunition supplier and PMX Industries, which manufactures copper and copper alloys for a number of industries, as the other top contractors in the Hawkeye State.
Kansas
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Cerner Government Services, Inc. $319.33 million (1.8% of total contracts)
#2. Textron Aviation Defense LLC $150.15 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#3. General Electric Company $139.94 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#4. Midwest Air Traffic Control Service, Inc. $77.15 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc. $59.27 million (0.3% of total contracts)
Kansas City-based health IT company Cerner landed a lucrative deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize their electronic records-keeping system in 2020. This is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to modernize the VA, which also includes expanding access to higher education. Other contracts awarded to companies cover a variety of different industries, from Textron Aviation maintaining a fleet of aircraft for the Afghanistan Training Program to Midwest Air Traffic Control providing air traffic control services to a number of military bases across the Middle East.
Kentucky
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Humana Government Business, Inc. $5.31 billion (5.9% of total contracts)
#2. Lockheed Martin Corporation $603.37 million (0.7% of total contracts)
#3. Raytheon Company $481.91 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#4. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, A Joint Venture $222.25 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. United Parcel Service Co. $134.37 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Raytheon and Lockheed Martin might be big winners in other states, but their Kentucky operations can't beat out Humana, an agency that provides military health-care services in the southern and eastern regions of the United States. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass serves a different purpose; the company is contracted to destroy 523 tons of mustard gas, sarin, and VX stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot. UPS rounds out the list, handling package deliveries because even the federal government wants to get their packages as quickly as possible.
Louisiana
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C. $315.5 million (0.9% of total contracts)
#2. Textron Inc. $304.07 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#3. Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations, LLC $218.45 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#4. Coast Professional, Inc. $93.46 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. Weeks Marine, Inc. $80.08 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Several of Louisiana's biggest contractors sound like they're ready to take to the high seas, but only Bollinger Shipyards and Weeks Marine, Inc. actually involve the ocean. Bollinger Shipyards builds patrol vessels for the Coast Guard and Navy while Weeks Marine competes for a number of contracts involving beach construction, restoration, and dredging. Coast Professional Inc. deals with clients who are underwater in student debt, despite being fired by the federal government in 2015 after accusations of breaking consumer-protection laws.
Maine
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Bath Iron Works Corporation $2.52 billion (18% of total contracts)
#2. Martin's Point Health Care, Inc. $356.1 million (2.6% of total contracts)
#3. Cianbro Corporation $32.18 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Stantec Consulting Services Inc. $24.3 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Career Systems Development Corporation $18.87 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Maine has one of the longest coastlines in the U.S. (longer than California) and its top contractors reflect that close relationship with the ocean. Bath Iron Works is one of two shipyards to build Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that launch missiles for the U.S. Navy. It was recently commissioned to continue providing services for these ships but only received a contract for four of 10 new destroyers due to its smaller size and charging higher costs per ship than its rival. Cianbro, another large Maine-based construction firm, builds the ports at which ships dock. They were recently commissioned to modernize wharfs in Maine and a port in New York.
Maryland
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $1.47 billion (2.1% of total contracts)
#2. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC $970 million (1.4% of total contracts)
#3. Leidos, Inc. $925.75 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#4. Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. $802.75 million (1.2% of total contracts)
#5. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. $627.78 million (0.9% of total contracts)
Lockheed Martin has operations across the country, but it's headquartered in Maryland so it makes sense that the biggest federal contractor would also dominate in its home state. Otherwise, most of the federal dollars going to the state fund scientific research. The Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University conducts research for the Department of Defense in everything from national security in space to advancing health care for military and civilian populations. Leidos Biomedical Research also runs a lab; the Frederick National Laboratory is dedicated to research on cancer, AIDS, and infectious diseases.
Massachusetts
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Raytheon Company $2.39 billion (3.6% of total contracts)
#2. General Electric Company $1.44 billion (2.2% of total contracts)
#3. Raytheon Company $1.19 billion (1.8% of total contracts)
#4. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology $992.14 million (1.5% of total contracts)
#5. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc $561.34 million (0.9% of total contracts)
Like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon has a strong presence in the state in which it's headquartered, bringing in several contracts to build and develop missiles for the U.S. military and international allies. As is true with several other top research universities, the Department of Defense—specifically the Air Force—funds the Lincoln Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which researches and develops national-security technology. General Dynamics Mission Systems provides the Army with cyberwarfare capabilities.
Michigan
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. General Dynamics Land Systems Inc. $2.43 billion (2.9% of total contracts)
#2. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P. $1.11 billion (1.3% of total contracts)
#3. Ford Motor Company $380.13 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#4. Kelly Services, Inc. $305.16 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. General Motors LLC $303.55 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Michigan has been the heart of U.S. automobile manufacturing since Henry Ford built his first experimental car there in the late 1890s. Though the industry struggled during the 2008 recession, vehicle manufacturing brings in most of Michigan's federal contracts. General Dynamics Land Systems won a contract to modernize a fleet of nearly 5,000 Army vehicles. BAE Systems works on the Army's tracked combat, assault, and tactical vehicles (and update the Navy's guns). Auto manufacturers more well-known to the public are also getting in on the action, with General Motors opening a defense division as of 2017.
Minnesota
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC $319.77 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#2. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P. $210.14 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#3. Cummins Power Generation Inc. $88.03 million (0.1% of total contracts)
#4. National Recoveries Inc. $62.9 million (0.1% of total contracts)
#5. U.S. Bancorp $57.42 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Both National Recoveries Inc. (a debt-collection agency) and U.S. Bancorp (a bank) got in trouble with the government in 2015. The Department of Education ended its contract with National Recoveries due to deceptive practices that were impacting borrowers; however they still offer services to the government through other contracts and their old contracts were offered back in 2017. Bancorp was fined $613 million for failing to protect against money laundering. The top three federal contractors build (in order) guns, missile launching systems, and diesel generators for the Department of Defense—they seem to have gotten into less trouble, too.
Mississippi
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated $4.88 billion (17.1% of total contracts)
#2. Vertex Aerospace LLC $666.79 million (2.3% of total contracts)
#3. Syncom Space Services LLC $189.15 million (0.7% of total contracts)
#4. Olin Corporation $112.88 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. Weeks Marine, Inc. $112.85 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Mississippi’s federal contractors create products that stretch from sea to shining sea and beyond. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated is one of two companies in the country that builds Navy destroyers while Weeks Marine won a contract from the Army Corp of Engineers to restore the Mississippi coast. Olin Corporation provides ammunition for the Army while Vertex helps the military take to the sky by managing and supplying an Air Force fleet. If the name didn’t give it away, Syncom Space Services works with NASA to provide services to the Stennis Space Center.
Missouri
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. The Boeing Company $6.17 billion (11.3% of total contracts)
#2. Honeywell International Inc. $1.29 billion (2.4% of total contracts)
#3. The Boeing Company $1.09 billion (2% of total contracts)
#4. Express Scripts, Inc. $451.53 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#5. DRS Sustainment Systems, Inc. $355.04 million (0.7% of total contracts)
Boeing scored a huge win in September 2018, after the Air Force granted it a $9.2 billion contract to build their new training jet. The success was also huge for the St. Louis plant that's doing the work—the funding provided by the government will secure 14,000 jobs in the region at least until the contract expires in 2034. Honeywell is the state's next largest contractor thanks to its management of the Kansas City National Security Campus, where the non-nuclear parts of nuclear weapons are made. Express Scripts, a pharmacy service that works with the government to provide medications to members of the military, and DRS Sustainment systems, a defense company, finish out the top five.
Montana
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Ames Construction, Inc. $34.49 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#2. Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. $26.7 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#3. Torrent Technologies Inc $26.23 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#4. Swank Enterprises $17.33 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. TNL Sales LLC $13.32 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Construction companies dominate Montana's top five federal contractors, with Ames Construction taking top billing for its contract to build a dam and bypass channel that will help save endangered fish in the Yellowstone River. Neptune Aviation Services provides aerial firefighting to the U.S. and Canada, though the Forest Service has cut back on using aerial firefighting support in recent years. Torrent Technologies deals with the opposite problem; they provide flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance program.
Nebraska
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Nelnet Servicing, LLC $146.02 million (1% of total contracts)
#2. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation $63.76 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#3. Perspecta Enterprise Solutions LLC $61.67 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#4. Signature Performance, Inc. $36.18 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Pro-Mark Services, Inc. $19.02 million (0.1% of total contracts)
A 2018 merger between two student loan servicing companies means that Nelnet Servicing now deals with nearly half of all the student-loan payments in the country. In 2019, a judge approved a class action suit against the company in which students allege that Nelnet mismanaged their loans and breached government contracts meant to help students. The second-largest company, Northrop Grumman, has also come under fire. They paid $27.45 million to settle a claim they had reported that their employees had worked more hours than they actually had while working on two projects for the Air Force.
Nevada
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Sierra Nevada Corporation $847.71 million (4.2% of total contracts)
#2. Mission Support And Test Services LLC $576.6 million (2.9% of total contracts)
#3. JT4, LLC $242.65 million (1.2% of total contracts)
#4. M1 Support Services, L.P. $103.59 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#5. AECOM Management Services, Inc. $61.05 million (0.3% of total contracts)
The Sierra Nevada Corporation works with NASA to send humans higher than Earth's tallest mountain peaks. In January 2018, they inked a deal for the development of a deep space habitat what would allow for manned missions into deep space. Mission Support and Test Services is a subsidiary of Honeywell and it runs the Nevada National Security Site, which does experiments around nuclear weapons, runs counterterrorism training, and acts as a landfill for low levels of nuclear waste.
New Hampshire
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. BAE Systems Information And Electronic Systems Integration Inc. $676.33 million (6% of total contracts)
#2. BAE Systems Information And Electronic Systems Integration Inc. $461.49 million (4.1% of total contracts)
#3. Red River Technology LLC $218.8 million (2% of total contracts)
#4. L3 Technologies, Inc. $202.26 million (1.8% of total contracts)
#5. Windham Professionals, Inc. $43.89 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Defense contractor BAE Systems makes up the majority of the contracts awarded to the Granite State. Their electronic systems sector has a strong presence in the state and a new expansion in Manchester will bring hundreds of jobs focusing on BAE's electronic warfare programs. Red River Technologies has also won contracts to provide IT services to a new Air Force Command and Control Facility, despite being found guilty of fraud in the early 2010s. L3 Technologies is contracted to provide battery power supplies and other tech to the government. A student loan services takes the fifth place slot, though they nearly lost their contract due to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' business ties with another company.
New Jersey
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $1.46 billion (2.3% of total contracts)
#2. Harris Corporation $549.5 million (0.9% of total contracts)
#3. Science Applications International Corporation $492.76 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#4. Lovell Government Services, LLC $219 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. Trustees Of Princeton University $178.95 million (0.3% of total contracts)
New Jersey is home to several significant portions of Lockheed Martin and Harris Corporation. Both the Electronic Warfare and Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) sector of Harris are located there as well as Lockheed Martin's Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS). The latter recently received an $80 million contract to develop a Ballistic Missile Defense Kill Assessment System alongside other unmanned and combat systems. Cutting-edge work also happens at Princeton's Plasma Physics Lab; funded by the Department of Energy, they research fusion in hopes it can be used as a global energy source.
New Mexico
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC $4.11 billion (15.4% of total contracts)
#2. Triad National Security, LLC $3.74 billion (14% of total contracts)
#3. Nuclear Waste Partnership LLC $464.07 million (1.7% of total contracts)
#4. Applied Research Associates, Inc. $98.33 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. Regents Of The University Of California $91.09 million (0.3% of total contracts)
The first atomic bomb was successfully detonated in Alamogordo, N.M., and the legacy of nuclear testing and development continues in the work done by federal contractors. National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia runs Sandia National Laboratory, which began as a facility to build non-nuclear components of the Manhattan Project. Today, it continues to research nuclear weapons while also conducting research on global security, energy, climate and more. Triad National Security and the University of California jointly run Los Alamos National Laboratory. In the 1940s, Robert Oppenheimer developed the nuclear bomb at the facility; half a century later, it's still a center for nuclear research but like Sandia, has expanded to include cybersecurity and other concerns in their research.
New York
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Brookhaven Science Associates LLC $869.6 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#2. Harris Corporation $698.65 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#3. Lockheed Martin Corporation $446.41 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#4. Lockheed Martin Corporation $419.34 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. McCann-Erickson USA, Inc. $204.37 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Brookhaven Science Associates runs Brookhaven National Laboratory, which studies nuclear and particle physics with funding from the Department of Energy. They focus primarily on energy, climate change, and the environment in hopes of building a sustainable future through scientific advancement. The fifth-place contractor, McCann-Erickson, might be best known to the public as the antagonistic advertising agency Don Draper didn't work for in “Mad Men.” It was also the Army's go-to ad agency from 2005 to March 2018 and works with the Postal Service.
North Carolina
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. H Squared, Inc. $304.69 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#2. Research Triangle Institute $221.02 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#3. McKesson Corporation $145.18 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Brasfield & Gorrie, L.L.C. $128.22 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Sodexo Management Inc. $122.16 million (0.2% of total contracts)
The Research Triangle is a 12-county region of North Carolina anchored between Duke, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It's also home to Research Triangle Park that houses a number of tech and other research companies like the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute. RTI works with the government and other agencies to provide data and research about issues ranging from Juuls to food security. Other top contractors provide construction and military mess hall services, among other industries.
North Dakota
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC $205.6 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#2. T. F. Powers Construction Co $12.67 million (0% of total contracts)
#3. Sygnos, Inc. $11.61 million (0% of total contracts)
#4. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. $10.66 million (0% of total contracts)
#5. Base Utilities Inc. $9.74 million (0% of total contracts)
Noridian Healthcare Services has helped deliver Medicare services since the program was established in 1966, recently renewing their contract in Iowa—one of a number of contracts they hold to administer these services. North Dakota construction firm T.F. Powers Construction recently won a construction and renovation project for a new building on Grand Forks Air Force Base. The state offers a wide range of services to the federal government. Fourth-place General Atomics Aeronautical Systems builds unmanned aircraft alongside radar and other mission systems while fifth-place Base Utilities provides water and wastewater treatment to Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Ohio
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. General Electric Company $798.39 million (1% of total contracts)
#2. Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC $410.75 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#3. CFM International, Inc. $309.05 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#4. Battelle Memorial Institute $246.97 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. The Wornick Company $159.93 million (0.2% of total contracts)
General Electric's relationship with the Buckeye State has been fraught after years of downsizing, plant closures, and lost jobs. Still, its aviation division is based out of Evanston, Ohio, and the company brings in the most money from federal contracts by far, sealing a $1 billion five-year deal to develop new engines for the military in 2016. Other deals run the gamut of services with a joint venture to decommission the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a site that previously enriched uranium for nuclear weapons taking the second spot. That company is trailed by engine-builder CFM International (a company half-owned by GE), research center Battelle, and army rations supplier the Wornick Company.
Oklahoma
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. The Boeing Company $656.29 million (2.2% of total contracts)
#2. Patriot Team $431.65 million (1.4% of total contracts)
#3. The Boeing Company $309.43 million (1% of total contracts)
#4. IAP Worldwide Services, Inc. $110.96 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#5. Harper Construction Company, Inc. $103.82 million (0.3% of total contracts)
Oklahoma City's Tinker Air Force Base is soon to see Boeing employees tinkering with their planes; the aviation company won a $14.3 billion contract to service and maintain two classes of bombers on base for the next decade. While Boeing continues to bring more jobs to the state, other companies are bringing their own talents to the table. The Tulsa-based Patriot team provides airlift services while IAP Worldwide gives logistics support to the Air Force. Harper Construction Company sticks a bit closer to home as the company builds two new barracks at Fort Sill, Okla.
Oregon
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Vigor Marine LLC $95.83 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#2. EPIC Aviation, LLC $75.94 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#3. Vigor Works LLC $70.97 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Action Financial $51.61 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. Columbia Helicopters, Inc. $42.58 million (0.1% of total contracts)
Vigor Marine and Vigor Works are both subsidiaries of the larger Oregon shipbuilding company Vigor Industrial. In 2017, they received a $1 billion contract to build Army landing craft, potentially bringing 400 jobs to the region with that contract alone. EPIC Aviation and Columbia Helicopters allow for smoother take-offs with the former supplying fuel and the latter giving airlift support in Afghanistan. Action Financial, a student-loan servicer, sits between the two of them in fourth overall.
Pennsylvania
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC $4.65 billion (2.2% of total contracts)
#2. Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. $2 billion (1% of total contracts)
#3. AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation $1.73 billion (0.8% of total contracts)
#4. The Boeing Company $1.46 billion (0.7% of total contracts)
#5. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P. $610.12 million (0.3% of total contracts)
Fluor Marine Propulsion took over operations of the Navy Nuclear Laboratory from Bechtel Plant Machinery in November 2018. Also known as the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, it focuses exclusively on designing and building nuclear reactors and nuclear power for the Navy in an effort to build and maintain nuclear powered ships for the fleet.
Third-place contractor, AmerisourceBergen, is a wholesale drug company that has faced controversy on two fronts. In October 2018, it paid a $625 million settlement in a civil suit alleging that it repackaged and sold unapproved and modified drugs. Investigators in several states are also looking into how the company's actions may have fueled the worsening opioid epidemic.
Rhode Island
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Raytheon Company $66.77 million (0.7% of total contracts)
#2. Systems Engineering Associates Corporation $42.33 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#3. BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc. $33.6 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#4. McLaughlin Research Corporation $28.54 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation $24.97 million (0.3% of total contracts)
Rhode Island's federal contractors pack a big punch, even in the smallest state in the Union. Raytheon received an $83 million contract to build an unmanned underwater vehicle that neutralizes mines, coming at a time when the company's Portsmouth offices were already expanding.
The next biggest recipient, SEA Corp, lives up to its aquatic name as the second-largest contractor supporting the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in its research and evaluation into anything associated to war beneath the waves. The other three top contractors also are involved with marine systems: BAE's Marine Engineering Institute is located in the state and the McLaughlin Research Corporation holds dozens of Navy contracts.
South Carolina
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC $1.55 billion (1.5% of total contracts)
#2. Savannah River Remediation LLC $626.02 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#3. Lockheed Martin Corporation $551.17 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#4. Palmetto GBA, LLC $287.77 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. CB&I Areva MOX Services, LLC $250.44 million (0.2% of total contracts)
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions runs Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., a nuclear reservation that processes tritium, a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen that's used in nuclear weapons (and in glow-in-the-dark signs). However, all that nuclear research comes with nuclear waste which the Savannah River Remediation LLC then has to deal with, opening up over 200 jobs in 2018 alone. MOX services was also supposed to work at the Savannah River Site; the National Nuclear Security Administration contracted them to build a new fuel fabrication factory, but allegations of fraud led to the project's cancellation and a lawsuit.
South Dakota
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Kreisers, LLC $127.4 million (1.8% of total contracts)
#2. Sterling Computers Corporation $114.89 million (1.6% of total contracts)
#3. Intelligent Waves LLC $63.12 million (0.9% of total contracts)
#4. Rosenbauer America, LLC $47.58 million (0.7% of total contracts)
#5. V3Gate, LLC $41.77 million (0.6% of total contracts)
Health care proves to be the most-lucrative contracting industry in South Dakota; the Department of Veterans Affairs tapped Kreisers to deliver wholesale medical and surgical supplies before the company was absorbed by the larger Seneca Medical Inc. Computers come in right behind: Sterling Computers works with NASA and the National Institute of Health and Intelligent Waves took on a nine-year IT-services contract for the Army in 2018. Rosenbauer America sticks to hardware selling 70 firefighting units to the Air Force.
Tennessee
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Consolidated Nuclear Security , LLC $2.68 billion (3.2% of total contracts)
#2. UT-Battelle, LLC $2.56 billion (3% of total contracts)
#3. URS/ CH2M Oak Ridge LLC $531.61 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#4. Federal Express Corporation $445.99 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#5. BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. $396.86 million (0.5% of total contracts)
Oak Ridge, Tenn., was built during the Manhattan Project and today remains the only source of enriched uranium for the U.S. Navy and for components needed to build nuclear weapons. Consolidated Nuclear Security runs the Y-12 National Security Complex at the site. UT-Battelle (a partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle) runs the Oak Ridge National Laboratory nearby, which researches nuclear science, supercomputers, and advanced materials while at the same time putting a strong emphasis on science education. Third on the list, URS/ CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, focuses on clean-up in the area and around the two labs.
Texas
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Lockheed Martin Corporation $17.07 billion (8.7% of total contracts)
#2. Lockheed Martin Corporation $3.54 billion (1.8% of total contracts)
#3. Bell Boeing Joint Project Office $2.93 billion (1.5% of total contracts)
#4. Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. $1.46 billion (0.7% of total contracts)
#5. L-3 Communications Integrated Systems L.P. $1.41 billion (0.7% of total contracts)
Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics Division Headquarters is in Fort Worth, Texas, and the billions of dollars they've brought to the region through their F-35 fighter jet alone has also brought thousands of jobs along with it. Lockheed Martin isn't the only aerospace company bringing in huge contracts; it's not even the only company in Fort Worth. Bell Helicopters teamed up with Boeing to build engines and V-22 Osprey helicopters for the various military branches. Bell alone has received several contracts for its vertical takeoff and landing helicopters. Fifth-place L-3 Communications switches things up a bit, developing and installing electronic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
Utah
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. L3 Technologies, Inc. $466.53 million (2.9% of total contracts)
#2. ATK Launch Systems Inc. $239.38 million (1.5% of total contracts)
#3. Utah State University Research Foundation $107.64 million (0.7% of total contracts)
#4. The Boeing Company $92.68 million (0.6% of total contracts)
#5. HHI Corporation $64.68 million (0.4% of total contracts)
Salt Lake City-based L3 Technologies plans to add around 250 jobs in the next nine years; this comes after the company received contracts to build the Navy's next signal jammer among other strong signs of growth. Space technology development rounds out the top three: ATK Launch Systems works on manned and unmanned space missions and missile defense systems and research at Utah State University's Space Dynamics Lab tackles data collection, satellite tech, and sensor systems. After Boeing, sits a construction company founded by a physicist that works on projects for the Air Force and the Army.
Vermont
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. General Dynamics-OTS, Inc. $219.51 million (3.9% of total contracts)
#2. Simmonds Precision Products Inc $50.52 million (0.9% of total contracts)
#3. Benaka Inc. $42.82 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#4. Foxmar, Inc. $17.29 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. ARD, Inc. $16.66 million (0.3% of total contracts)
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems works in weapons, modifying them for allied countries across the Middle East and North Africa as well as providing machine guns and vehicles to the U.S. Army. The other companies on the list don't pack quite as much firepower. With recent contracts, Simmonds Precision Products provides computers and other tech to the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency, Benaka is renovating five National Guard buildings, and ARD works with USAID to provide consulting and research services to countries around the world emerging from crisis. Most recently they began work in Colombia, which ended a half-century-long civil war.
Virginia
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. $2.33 billion (2.2% of total contracts)
#2. Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. $2.28 billion (2.2% of total contracts)
#3. Huntington Ingalls Incorporated $1.9 billion (1.8% of total contracts)
#4. Perspecta Enterprise Solutions LLC $1.19 billion (1.1% of total contracts)
#5. General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. $1.05 billion (1% of total contracts)
Atlantic Diving Supply leveraged its small-business status to become the second most lucrative federal contractor in Virginia. The diving equipment shop now supplies the Pentagon military equipment, tactical gear, and medical supplies and took home over $2 billion in revenue in 2018. It comes only behind Booz Allen, a McLean-based technology consulting firm which was awarded a $1 billion cybersecurity contract and in 2019, took home another $9.8 million to create a cloud-based app for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Washington
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. The Boeing Company $7.62 billion (12.2% of total contracts)
#2. Battelle Memorial Institute $1.09 billion (1.8% of total contracts)
#3. Washington River Protection Solutions LLC $847.57 million (1.4% of total contracts)
#4. Bechtel National, Inc. $834.22 million (1.3% of total contracts)
#5. CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company $581.94 million (0.9% of total contracts)
Boeing provides around 20,000 manufacturing jobs to Washington and lawmakers in the state have incentivized the company with hefty tax breaks to stick around and keep bringing contracts back to the Pacific Northwest. Pacific Northwest National Lab, operated by Battelle Memorial Institute, focuses on broad scientific discovery in a number of fields along with energy resiliency and national security. The other three companies work in “the most toxic place in America,” the Hanford Site. Washington River Protection and CH2M work on cleaning up the hazardous waste while Bechtel works to develop a treatment plant for the waste.
West Virginia
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. ManTech Advanced Systems International, Inc. $60.12 million (0.4% of total contracts)
#2. Leidos, Inc. $54.32 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#3. HMS Technologies, Inc. $52.33 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#4. Keylogic Systems, Inc. $42.95 million (0.3% of total contracts)
#5. Us&S - E2 I, LLC $37.96 million (0.2% of total contracts)
West Virginia's rural areas struggle to access the internet but the state itself is full of high-powered government contractors with IT skills. ManTech Advanced Systems, Leidos, and HMS have all brought hefty IT contracts from the National Institute of Health; the Morgantown National Energy Technology Laboratory; and the Department of Veterans Affairs. KeyLogic works with the NETL as well, aiding researchers in their investigations into energy technology.
Wisconsin
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Oshkosh Defense, LLC $2.93 billion (3.2% of total contracts)
#2. Logistics Health, Inc. $419.86 million (0.5% of total contracts)
#3. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. $177.37 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#4. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation $176.94 million (0.2% of total contracts)
#5. General Electric Company $109.81 million (0.1% of total contracts)
The name of Wisconsin's biggest federal contractor might sound similar to the kid's clothing brand, but that's where the similarities end. Oshkosh Defense builds medium tactical vehicles and other military trucks and they recently extended their contract with the Army by another seven years. The third-place contract holder is Great Lakes Educational Loan Services—it was sold to another loan servicer, Nelnet, in 2018 and the combined company now services 42% of all student loans. The second and fourth place companies both deal with health services as does the General Electric division in the state.
Wyoming
Top recipients of federal contracts:
#1. Fluor Federal Solutions, LLC $145.83 million (3.3% of total contracts)
#2. Malcolm International LLC $44.73 million (1% of total contracts)
#3. United Excel Corporation $42.46 million (1% of total contracts)
#4. Compass PTS JV $35.84 million (0.8% of total contracts)
#5. Oftedal Construction, Inc. $24.04 million (0.6% of total contracts)
Wyoming is modernizing both the state and the country if the work its top contractors are doing is any indication. The Army Corp of Engineers selected Fluor Federal Solutions to build a new storage and maintenance facility for nuclear weapons in Laramie, Wyo. Malcolm International was awarded a three-year contract to repair Bull Lake Dam in central Wyoming and Oftedal Construction builds and repairs roads and highways across the western U.S. Compass PTS is a mapping partner for FEMA's flood hazard mapping and United Excel Corporation builds medical facilities in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories.
