Enhancing Transparency With Data

Follow the Money: U.S. Treasury Discloses Federal Income and Outlays

Issue: Public Spending

The general public knows that trillions of dollars pass through the federal budget, but people are less clear on where that money goes and when the bills are paid — an uncertainty that breeds confusion and distrust. So to help provide insight into federal revenue and expenditures, the U.S. Treasury Department publishes monthly statements — akin to our personal bank statements — that show federal receipts, outlays and deficits.

For instance, the July 2025 report shows that Treasury received $131 billion in social insurance and retirement–related income and paid out $133 billion for Social Security and $76 billion in national defense, among other statistics.

Treasury also publishes daily statements that explain, in granular detail, how much money more than 150 individual departments and agencies have deposited and withdrawn on a given day. The daily statements disclose the Treasury’s General Account (TGA) opening and closing balances as well, comparing them to the TGA balances that month and through the current fiscal year.

The statements are available on Treasury’s Fiscal Data website — billed as a “one-stop shop for federal financial data” — which provides educational content, interactive visuals, historical context and running tabulations of the national deficit and debt, among other information.

“Usability is a core value we have embraced from the start of the development of this website,” its designers say. “Throughout development, we have integrated best practices and user feedback to deliver a modern, easy-to-navigate site.”

• Receipts, Outlays and Surplus/Deficit for July 2025.
• Source: Monthly Treasury Statement, FY 2025 through July 31, 2025

Massachusetts Reveals State Workforce Demographics

Issue: Workforce

Government agencies work hard to understand the demographics of communities they serve, but the public sector is less likely to turn the mirror on itself. In Massachusetts, however, an interactive dashboard reveals the overall composition of the executive branch workforce. It tracks the state’s progress toward achieving various diversity benchmarks and uses colorful graphics to show demographic details such as gender, race, age group, length of service, and veteran and disability status. Also included: the number of executive branch hires, promotions and separations.

This article appeared in our guide, “Building Government’s Data Toolbox: Practical Uses for Data and Insights.” For more on how agencies are making real change using data, download it here:

Image by Lukas from Pixabay