Which Industries Spend the Most on Politics?
Employees across 10 major industry sectors contributed a combined $622.5M to federal campaigns.
Industry Rankings
| Rank | Industry | Total Given | Donors | Avg. Donation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance & Banking | $139.5M | 8,735 | $16K |
| 2 | Education | $99.8M | 17,626 | $6K |
| 3 | Healthcare | $82.6M | 15,908 | $5K |
| 4 | Law | $82.1M | 11,886 | $7K |
| 5 | Technology | $77.3M | 10,285 | $8K |
| 6 | Energy | $41.4M | 5,668 | $7K |
| 7 | Media & Entertainment | $34.5M | 2,708 | $13K |
| 8 | Defense | $24.5M | 6,218 | $4K |
| 9 | Consulting | $23.4M | 2,226 | $10K |
| 10 | Real Estate | $17.4M | 1,334 | $13K |
Industry Motivations
- Technology -- Privacy regulation, antitrust, immigration policy
- Finance -- Financial regulation, tax policy
- Healthcare -- Medicare reimbursement, drug pricing
- Energy -- Environmental regulation, drilling permits
- Defense -- Military budgets, procurement contracts
Important Caveat
These figures reflect individual employee donations, not corporate spending. Companies may also spend through PACs and lobbying.
Methodology
Industry classifications are based on keyword matching against employer names in FEC filings.