Lobbying
Who's Up, Who's Down?
View industries with the greatest increases and decreases in lobbying spending by quarter and by year.
Each time we report the latest figures on federal lobbying activity -- reports are due each quarter -- everyone wants to know what's up with the industry they care about, as well as overall lobbying trends. Has there been more lobbying? Less? The following table shows the number of active lobbyists and the total spent on lobbying -- and compares these figures for whatever quarterly reports have been processed so far this year to the figures for the comparable period in prior years.
YEAR-TO-DATE SUMMARY
| Year | Total Spent | Number of Lobbyists |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $2,414,337,089 | 11,509 |
| 2013 | $2,407,897,819 | 12,011 |
| 2012 | $2,483,299,405 | 12,096 |
| 2011 | $2,482,588,376 | 12,313 |
| 2010 | $2,678,516,298 | 12,643 |
| 2009 | $2,530,451,344 | 13,367 |
| 2008 | $2,480,259,139 | 13,742 |
This interactive tool allows you to answer the questions of who's up
and who's down yourself. Just select the comparison period (a full
year or just one quarter) and then view the total spent on lobbying
that quarter, the number of lobbyists employed and the percent change
for each industry we profile. Spending and percentage change
information is provided at both the industry level and the sector
level. Each industry is contained in just one of the 13 broad sectors
the Center for Responsive Politics tracks. For example, the health
sector (listed in the top table) is the sum of all health-related
industries (listed in the bottom table), such as pharmaceuticals,
hospitals, health professionals, etc.
NOTE: You can only compare an entire year to another entire year, or a quarter to another quarter.
SUMMARY
| Period | Total Spent | Number of Lobbyists |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 3rd Quarter | $778,910,062 | 10,759 |
| 2014 3rd Quarter | $771,987,375 | 9,635 |
SECTORS
| Sector | 2013 3rd Quarter | 2014 3rd Quarter | Difference | Pct Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misc Business | $115,163,001 | $140,450,932 | $25,287,931 | 22.0% |
| Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | $116,996,053 | $119,944,315 | $2,948,262 | 2.5% |
| Defense | $30,557,528 | $30,162,227 | $-395,301 | -1.3% |
| Construction | $12,209,923 | $11,358,643 | $-851,280 | -7.0% |
| Lawyers & Lobbyists | $5,199,992 | $4,304,991 | $-895,001 | -17.2% |
| Labor | $11,737,192 | $10,570,772 | $-1,166,420 | -9.9% |
| Transportation | $52,747,508 | $49,500,523 | $-3,246,985 | -6.2% |
| Health | $117,890,042 | $114,457,120 | $-3,432,922 | -2.9% |
| Communications/Electronics | $91,803,618 | $88,295,970 | $-3,507,648 | -3.8% |
| Energy & Natural Resources | $83,281,639 | $78,730,471 | $-4,551,168 | -5.5% |
| Ideological/Single-Issue | $35,778,814 | $30,389,490 | $-5,389,324 | -15.1% |
| Other | $55,848,187 | $47,137,311 | $-8,710,876 | -15.6% |
| Agribusiness | $41,474,705 | $32,148,869 | $-9,325,836 | -22.5% |
INDUSTRIES
| Industry/Interest | 2013 3rd Quarter | 2014 3rd Quarter | Difference | Pct Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Associations | $24,401,551 | $46,192,683 | $21,791,132 | 89.3% |
| Real Estate | $19,115,805 | $27,603,198 | $8,487,393 | 44.4% |
| Misc Manufacturing & Distributing | $22,442,907 | $25,588,528 | $3,145,621 | 14.0% |
| Retail Sales | $11,184,546 | $14,014,416 | $2,829,870 | 25.3% |
| Beer, Wine & Liquor | $4,773,320 | $5,802,200 | $1,028,880 | 21.6% |
| Building Materials & Equipment | $3,528,659 | $4,450,415 | $921,756 | 26.1% |
| Defense Aerospace | $13,719,498 | $14,606,481 | $886,983 | 6.5% |
| TV/Movies/Music | $25,119,228 | $25,961,992 | $842,764 | 3.4% |
| Oil & Gas | $34,268,372 | $34,974,491 | $706,119 | 2.1% |
| Commercial Banks | $13,883,832 | $14,434,453 | $550,621 | 4.0% |
| Food & Beverage | $7,086,185 | $7,614,073 | $527,888 | 7.4% |
| Health Professionals | $20,830,068 | $21,349,722 | $519,654 | 2.5% |
| Finance/Credit Companies | $7,850,212 | $8,172,175 | $321,963 | 4.1% |
| Recreation/Live Entertainment | $1,736,701 | $1,952,748 | $216,047 | 12.4% |
| Misc Business | $1,807,567 | $1,944,622 | $137,055 | 7.6% |
| Textiles | $320,000 | $429,500 | $109,500 | 34.2% |
| Steel Production | $1,849,760 | $1,919,773 | $70,013 | 3.8% |
| Defense Electronics | $7,236,897 | $7,298,701 | $61,804 | 0.9% |
| Pro-Israel | $931,817 | $972,914 | $41,097 | 4.4% |
| Electronics Mfg & Services | $3,986,293 | $4,022,826 | $36,533 | 0.9% |
| Accountants | $3,865,000 | $3,900,000 | $35,000 | 0.9% |
| Transportation Unions | $2,778,498 | $2,808,588 | $30,090 | 1.1% |
| Women's Issues | $124,000 | $150,000 | $26,000 | 21.0% |
| Abortion Policy/Anti-Abortion | $171,435 | $176,475 | $5,040 | 2.9% |
| Trucking | $2,391,859 | $2,395,082 | $3,223 | 0.1% |
| Clergy & Religious Organizations | $583,182 | $582,250 | $-932 | -0.2% |
| Misc Agriculture | $160,000 | $156,318 | $-3,682 | -2.3% |
| Poultry & Eggs | $385,000 | $380,000 | $-5,000 | -1.3% |
| Savings & Loans | $102,750 | $90,000 | $-12,750 | -12.4% |
| Livestock | $724,709 | $679,548 | $-45,161 | -6.2% |
| Building Trade Unions | $1,310,000 | $1,260,000 | $-50,000 | -3.8% |
| Republican/Conservative | $290,777 | $220,632 | $-70,145 | -24.1% |
| Abortion Policy/Pro-Abortion Rights | $789,285 | $719,122 | $-70,163 | -8.9% |
| Foreign & Defense Policy | $1,471,764 | $1,377,442 | $-94,322 | -6.4% |
| Misc Communications/Electronics | $990,000 | $890,000 | $-100,000 | -10.1% |
| Gun Control | $615,000 | $510,000 | $-105,000 | -17.1% |
| Public Sector Unions | $3,276,644 | $3,168,306 | $-108,338 | -3.3% |
| Fisheries & Wildlife | $770,450 | $658,450 | $-112,000 | -14.5% |
| Crop Production & Basic Processing | $4,865,227 | $4,748,487 | $-116,740 | -2.4% |
| Printing & Publishing | $3,668,238 | $3,546,458 | $-121,780 | -3.3% |
| Special Trade Contractors | $1,019,248 | $845,766 | $-173,482 | -17.0% |
| Waste Management | $1,096,500 | $896,000 | $-200,500 | -18.3% |
| Dairy | $1,912,524 | $1,710,971 | $-201,553 | -10.5% |
| Lodging/Tourism | $2,258,496 | $2,027,518 | $-230,978 | -10.2% |
| Misc Transport | $3,924,714 | $3,686,694 | $-238,020 | -6.1% |
| Environmental Svcs/Equipment | $1,337,255 | $1,083,712 | $-253,543 | -19.0% |
| Home Builders | $1,510,228 | $1,246,031 | $-264,197 | -17.5% |
| Lobbyists | $1,998,666 | $1,732,110 | $-266,556 | -13.3% |
| Misc Services | $1,427,052 | $1,091,140 | $-335,912 | -23.5% |
| General Contractors | $3,136,402 | $2,792,982 | $-343,420 | -10.9% |
| Misc Unions | $2,021,000 | $1,677,000 | $-344,000 | -17.0% |
| Business Services | $9,934,367 | $9,544,647 | $-389,720 | -3.9% |
| Air Transport | $18,942,530 | $18,539,291 | $-403,239 | -2.1% |
| Tobacco | $5,906,885 | $5,486,681 | $-420,204 | -7.1% |
| Misc Health | $2,534,240 | $2,033,857 | $-500,383 | -19.7% |
| Railroads | $8,166,110 | $7,650,006 | $-516,104 | -6.3% |
| Gun Rights | $2,947,332 | $2,423,435 | $-523,897 | -17.8% |
| Sea Transport | $5,710,121 | $5,176,225 | $-533,896 | -9.3% |
| Forestry & Forest Products | $3,629,351 | $3,088,145 | $-541,206 | -14.9% |
| Human Rights | $10,383,456 | $9,841,589 | $-541,867 | -5.2% |
| Misc Energy | $10,866,521 | $10,263,019 | $-603,502 | -5.6% |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $3,201,326 | $2,572,881 | $-628,445 | -19.6% |
| Industrial Unions | $2,351,050 | $1,656,878 | $-694,172 | -29.5% |
| Environment | $3,593,221 | $2,859,400 | $-733,821 | -20.4% |
| Other | $4,253,988 | $3,518,178 | $-735,810 | -17.3% |
| Credit Unions | $2,795,000 | $1,979,000 | $-816,000 | -29.2% |
| Telephone Utilities | $10,606,053 | $9,707,250 | $-898,803 | -8.5% |
| Construction Services | $3,015,386 | $2,023,449 | $-991,937 | -32.9% |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $56,478,987 | $55,456,009 | $-1,022,978 | -1.8% |
| Misc Finance | $7,604,373 | $6,535,225 | $-1,069,148 | -14.1% |
| Hospitals/Nursing Homes | $21,262,243 | $20,186,015 | $-1,076,228 | -5.1% |
| Civil Servants/Public Officials | $18,153,040 | $16,924,480 | $-1,228,560 | -6.8% |
| Democratic/Liberal | $1,368,661 | $59,000 | $-1,309,661 | -95.7% |
| Mining | $6,269,638 | $4,939,230 | $-1,330,408 | -21.2% |
| Misc Defense | $9,601,133 | $8,257,045 | $-1,344,088 | -14.0% |
| Health Services/HMOs | $16,784,504 | $15,431,517 | $-1,352,987 | -8.1% |
| Casinos/Gambling | $8,952,884 | $7,475,167 | $-1,477,717 | -16.5% |
| Automotive | $13,612,174 | $12,053,225 | $-1,558,949 | -11.5% |
| Computers/Internet | $34,031,630 | $32,471,410 | $-1,560,220 | -4.6% |
| Education | $20,615,081 | $18,932,743 | $-1,682,338 | -8.2% |
| Telecom Services & Equipment | $13,402,176 | $11,696,034 | $-1,706,142 | -12.7% |
| Agricultural Services/Products | $9,141,082 | $7,375,080 | $-1,766,002 | -19.3% |
| Misc Issues | $13,092,066 | $11,079,481 | $-2,012,585 | -15.4% |
| Securities & Investment | $24,835,056 | $22,795,964 | $-2,039,092 | -8.2% |
| Chemical & Related Manufacturing | $16,987,665 | $14,853,917 | $-2,133,748 | -12.6% |
| Insurance | $36,944,025 | $34,434,300 | $-2,509,725 | -6.8% |
| Electric Utilities | $28,672,903 | $25,915,569 | $-2,757,334 | -9.6% |
| Non-Profit Institutions | $12,242,896 | $7,179,660 | $-5,063,236 | -41.4% |
| Food Processing & Sales | $14,749,927 | $8,523,639 | $-6,226,288 | -42.2% |
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