By Evan Bell | Cronkite News Service
Federal contract spending in Arizona grew more than three times faster than the national rate over the past 20 years, according to a Cronkite News Service analysis of government data.
Between 1992 and 2012, the value of federal contracts in Arizona rose from $2.4 billion to $14.2 billion, a 491 percent increase.
Total federal contract spending in the same period rose 158 percent, from $199.8 billion to $517 billion.
The growth in contracts outpaced overall growth of the state economy, with federal contracting rising from 3 percent of Arizona’s economy in 1992 to more than 5.3 percent in 2012, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data.
