Lobbying Spending in Perspective
$15.2 billion is hard to wrap your head around. These comparisons put lobbying spending in context — and make it easy to share.
Total lobbying spending since 2018 equals about 60% of NASA's annual budget ($25.4B). Corporate lobbyists nearly outspend rocket science.
NASA FY2024 budget; OpenLobby data 2018–2025
2025 lobbying spending alone exceeds the GDP of Tonga ($536M), Palau ($284M), Micronesia ($427M), and a dozen other nations — combined.
World Bank GDP data; OpenLobby 2025 data
The US Chamber of Commerce spends over $80 million per year on lobbying — more than the entire annual budget of most American towns under 10,000 people.
Census of Governments; OpenLobby client data
Big Pharma's lobbying tab since 2018 could fund 33,000 teacher salaries at the US average of $100K (salary + benefits). That's enough for a mid-size school district.
BLS teacher compensation data; OpenLobby pharma analysis
TriWest Healthcare spent $270K lobbying and received $13.4B in federal contracts. That's a 49,600x return — better than any stock, crypto, or lottery ticket in history.
USASpending.gov; OpenLobby ROI analysis
$15.2B in lobbying could buy 60,000 homes at the US median price of $253K (2018 median). That's enough to house a small city.
US Census median home price; OpenLobby data
Spread across the US population, lobbying spending works out to about $46 per person since 2018. That's $46 of corporate influence on the laws that govern your life.
US Census population; OpenLobby data 2018–2025
Data Sources: US Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (2018–2025) · NASA FY2024 Budget · World Bank GDP Data · US Census Bureau · Bureau of Labor Statistics · USASpending.gov
Last updated: February 2025
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