This calculator allows users to place specific tax or spending numbers in the context of the total U.S. budget. It converts dollar amounts into either dollars per capita, that is per U.S. citizen, or into a percentage of total revenues, total discretionary spending, or the total budget (including nondiscretionary spending). It also provides a visual comparison showing the size of the specific spending or revenue item relative to projected defense spending over the time period in question.


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Designed by David Rosnick, Matthew Sedlar, Center for Economic and Policy Research, June 2010.
Updated April 8, 2010, based on data from the Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2020, Summary Table 1 and Table 3-1 and the U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Population Estimates 2000 to 2009 and National Population Projections.