Politics

Comparing U.S. Federal Spending with Revenue

Published

3 years ago

August 22, 2022

Truman Du

Featured Creator

Article/Editing:

Carmen Ang

chart showing U.S. spending compared to revenue in 2021

Comparing U.S. Federal Spending with Revenue

In 2021, the U.S. government spent $6.8 trillion on various expenditures and government-aided programs. Where was this money spent, and how much was covered by taxpayers’ dollars?

This graphic by Truman Du shows a breakdown of U.S. federal spending in 2021, as well as a breakdown of where the money came from, using data from USAspending.gov.

Money Comes and Goes

In 2021, U.S. government revenue totaled more than $4 trillion. About half of it came from individual income taxes, while about 30% came from Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Here’s a full breakdown of revenue sources in 2021:

U.S. Government Revenue Source	2021 Amount ($B)
Individual income taxes	$2,044
Social security and medicare taxes	$1,247
Corporate income taxes	$372
Miscellaneous revenue	$133
Custom duties	$80
Excise taxes	$75
Unemployment insurance	$57
Estate and gift taxes	$27
Other retirement	$10
Total	$4,045

Despite the trillions in revenue generated, like most years, U.S. federal spending was higher in 2021, which put the federal government in a budget deficit of $2.7 trillion.

This was the second highest deficit on record, down from a peak of $3.1 trillion in 2020 during the height of the global pandemic.

After income and Social Security spending, health was the third-largest expenditure in 2021. Here’s a look at the full breakdown, and where spending was allocated last year:

U.S. Government Spending Category	2021 Amount ($B)
Income security	$1,649
Social security	$1,135
Health	$797
National defense	$755
Medicare	$697
Net interest	$352
Commerce and housing credit	$304
Education	$297
General government	$270
Veterans benefits	$234
Transportation	$155
Administration of Justice	$72
Agriculture	$50
International affairs	$47
Community and regional development	$47
Natural resources	$42
General science, space and technology	$36
Energy	$6
Offsetting revenue collected but not attributed to functions	($124)
Total	$6,820

Spending is expected to curb further in 2022. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office via AP News, the 2022 deficit is projected to drop to $1.15 trillion and will continue to decrease for the next three years.

U.S. National Debt

In March 2021, U.S. national debt reached an all-time high of $28 trillion. That includes intragovernmental holdings, which is about $6 trillion of debt owed within the government itself.

While overall debt is rising, the cost of servicing this debt has actually dropped in recent years thanks to record low interest rates.

However, with interest rates on the rise again this year, servicing the existing national debt is becoming more expensive.

And eventually, when it comes time for the U.S. government to refinance its loans, a greater portion of the federal budget will need to be allocated to servicing debt, which will put a squeeze on other areas of spending.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Crime

Mapped: Fentanyl Seized at U.S. Borders Over Time

More than 90% of all fentanyl seizures occur along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Published

1 week ago

March 18, 2025

Niccolo Conte

This infographic highlights fentanyl seizures at the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico, along with other ports of entry.

Mapped: Fentanyl Seized at U.S. Borders Over Time

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Over the last 20 years, America’s opioid crisis has spiraled into an epidemic, and fentanyl is at the center of it.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Recently, it has been in the news due to President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, citing the need to curb fentanyl inflows (and illegal immigration) from these countries.

This infographic highlights how much fentanyl is being seized along the Northern and Southern U.S. borders, as well as coastal and interior ports of entry like airports and seaports.

The data comes from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department, combining figures from the U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations along with Air and Marine Operations, with fiscal years (FY) from October to September.

How Much Fentanyl Comes From Canada and Mexico?

Since 2022, the majority of illegal fentanyl—over 90%—has been seized along the U.S.-Mexico border. By contrast, Canada’s border and the U.S.’s coastal and interior regions have seen significantly lower amounts.

Here’s a look at the data of total fentanyl seizures (in pounds) across U.S. borders from 2022 to January of 2025:

Fiscal Year	Canada Border	Mexico Border	Coastal/Interior	Total Fentanyl Seizures
2022	555 lbs	14,486 lbs	981 lbs	16,022 lbs
2023	587 lbs	27,275 lbs	596 lbs	28,458 lbs
2024	1,448 lbs	21,489 lbs	751 lbs	23,688 lbs
2025 YTD	37 lbs	5,515 lbs	459 lbs	6,011 lbs

In 2023, more than 27,000 lbs of fentanyl were seized along the Mexican border, nearly double the amount caught in 2022. While these figures declined in 2024, fentanyl seizures from Mexico were still almost 10 times the amount seized at the Canadian border and across U.S. coastal or interior seizures combined.

As of 2025, U.S. border agencies have seized more than 6,000 lbs of fentanyl, nearly 92% of it along the Mexican border. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, cartels primarily try to smuggle fentanyl via vehicles driven by U.S. citizens.

However, the rise in seizures suggests that U.S. border agencies are cracking down on smuggling operations, specifically from Mexico. On the other hand, it could also imply that traffickers are moving more fentanyl than ever before.

Fentanyl’s Impact on U.S. Foreign Policy

Beyond contributing to America’s opioid crisis, fentanyl is also influencing U.S. foreign policy.

The Trump administration’s latest tariffs are contingent on Canada, Mexico, and China taking strict action against the illegal supply of fentanyl and its precursors to the United States. Both Canada and China have responded in kind with retaliatory tariffs.

China is the world’s largest producer of fentanyl precursors, chemicals that are then supplied to cartels in Mexico, often via regular shipping routes that first pass through the United States.

There have also been suggestions of U.S. military action against cartels, with the Trump administration designating six Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.