Total Government Spending Has More Than Doubled Since 1965

Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.

State and local government spending per household imposes a significant, and growing, burden on taxpayers on top of federal spending. In 1970, median household income was $17,839 greater than total government spending per household, compared to only $2,431 in 2009.

PER-HOUSEHOLD SPENDING, IN INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS (2010)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, White House Office of Management and Budget, and 2011 Economic Report of the President.

In Depth

• Policy Papers for Researchers

  • COMMENTARY ON NOVEMBER 29, 2010What To Cut
  • BACKGROUNDER ON OCTOBER 28, 2010How to Cut $343 Billion from the Federal Budget

• Technical Notes

  The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More

• Authors

  Emily GoffResearch Assistant
  Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
  Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor