Industry Analysis

Lobbying Spending by Industry: $37.7B Exposed

Not all industries lobby equally. Healthcare and finance dominate Washington's influence economy, spending billions to shape regulations, secure funding, and block unfavorable legislation. Here's the complete industry-by-industry breakdown.

Industry Overview

10
Industry Sectors
$25.8B
Total Classified Spending
$6.9B
#1 Industry Spending

Industry Spending Rankings

1
healthcare
$6.9B(26.6%)
5,861 clients
2
technology
$6.4B(24.7%)
7,775 clients
3
energy
$3.7B(14.4%)
3,268 clients
4
finance
$3.1B(12.1%)
2,247 clients
5
transportation
$1.7B(6.5%)
1,508 clients
6
defense
$1.4B(5.5%)
1,639 clients
7
education
$1.0B(3.9%)
1,989 clients
8
agriculture
$767M(3.0%)
1,080 clients
9
telecom
$452M(1.7%)
381 clients
10
real-estate
$403M(1.6%)
985 clients

Spending totals cover 2018-2025. Client counts reflect unique organizations in each sector.

Detailed Industry Profiles

healthcare

5,861 clients · 94,723 filings

$6.9B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA$244M
AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION$189M
PFIZER INC.$147M
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION$136M
AARP$107M

technology

7,775 clients · 99,945 filings

$6.4B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.$227M
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC$151M
COMCAST CORPORATION$123M
NCTA - THE INTERNET & TELEVISION ASSOCIATION$112M
QUALCOMM INCORPORATED$108M

energy

3,268 clients · 47,669 filings

$3.7B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

SOUTHERN COMPANY$98M
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION$91M
EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE$81M
BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE INC$72M
EXXON MOBIL CORP$64M

finance

2,247 clients · 37,768 filings

$3.1B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS$441M
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.$82M
AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION$81M
SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION$67M
AMERICAN PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURANCE ASSOCIATION$54M

transportation

1,508 clients · 22,613 filings

$1.7B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.$283M
FEDEX CORPORATION$92M
ALLIANCE FOR AUTOMOTIVE INNOVATION$55M
UNITED AIRLINES INC$52M
NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION$47M

defense

1,639 clients · 20,572 filings

$1.4B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

BOEING COMPANY$100M
GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP$90M
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION$80M
GENERAL ATOMICS$45M
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION$44M

education

1,989 clients · 33,765 filings

$1.0B
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION$29M
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY$15M
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS$15M
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY$13M
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA$11M

agriculture

1,080 clients · 14,425 filings

$767M
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES$29M
MCDONALD'S CORPORATION$21M
U.S. BEET SUGAR ASSOCIATION$21M
MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY USA LLC$19M
CROPLIFE AMERICA$19M

telecom

381 clients · 8,332 filings

$452M
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

CTIA-THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION$131M
T-MOBILE USA, INC.$19M
COMCAST CORPORATION$18M
UNITED STATES TELECOM ASSN$17M
AT&T SERVICES, INC.$13M

real-estate

985 clients · 11,992 filings

$403M
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Top Spenders

NATIONAL MULTIFAMILY HOUSING COUNCIL INC$51M
REAL ESTATE ROUNDTABLE$38M
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FINANCE COUNCIL$10M
MANUFACTURED HOUSING INSTITUTE$7M
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES DEPT AFL-CIO$7M

Key Takeaways

Concentration of Power

The top 3 industries account for over 60% of all classified lobbying spending. This concentration means a handful of sectors have disproportionate influence over federal policy.

Rising Tech Spending

Technology lobbying has grown faster than any other sector, driven by battles over AI regulation, antitrust enforcement, data privacy, and cryptocurrency oversight.

Defense Remains Steady

Defense contractors maintain consistent, high lobbying spending — reflecting the ongoing need to secure multi-billion-dollar government contracts and influence procurement decisions.

Dive Deeper Into Each Industry

Click any industry above to see the full client list, top lobbyists, key issues, and historical spending trends.

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