Lobbying Database

In addition to campaign contributions to elected officials and candidates, companies, labor unions, and other organizations spend billions of dollars each year to lobby Congress and federal agencies. Some special interests retain lobbying firms, many of them located along Washington's legendary K Street; others have lobbyists working in-house. We've got totals spent on lobbying, beginning in 1998, for everyone from AAI Corp. to Zurich Financial.

You can use the options on the left to search through our database in several ways: search by name for a company, lobbying firm or individual lobbyist; search for the total spending by a particular industry; view the interests that lobbied a particular government agency; or search for lobbying on a general issue or specific piece of legislation.

Total Lobbying Spending
1998$1,452,893,763$1.45 Billion
1999$1,445,026,929$1.45 Billion
2000$1,568,840,380$1.57 Billion
2001$1,635,610,967$1.64 Billion
2002$1,832,122,554$1.83 Billion
2003$2,062,039,367$2.06 Billion
2004$2,195,445,206$2.20 Billion
2005$2,442,365,142$2.44 Billion
2006$2,633,506,139$2.63 Billion
2007$2,873,726,319$2.87 Billion
2008$3,302,346,025$3.30 Billion
2009$3,502,686,809$3.50 Billion
2010$3,546,507,489$3.55 Billion
2011$3,327,652,936$3.33 Billion
2012$3,312,692,270$3.31 Billion
2013$3,238,854,713$3.24 Billion
2014$2,414,337,089$2.41 Billion
Number of Lobbyists*
1998$10,40610,406
1999$12,93212,932
2000$12,53712,537
2001$11,83211,832
2002$12,11412,114
2003$12,91012,910
2004$13,16813,168
2005$14,07314,073
2006$14,49314,493
2007$14,83314,833
2008$14,18714,187
2009$13,78213,782
2010$12,96012,960
2011$12,71312,713
2012$12,43712,437
2013$12,35912,359
2014$11,50911,509

NOTE: Figures are on this page are calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics based on data from the Senate Office of Public Records. Data for the most recent year was downloaded on October 27, 2014.

*The number of unique, registered lobbyists who have actively lobbied.

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

Recent Registrations

Client McGuireWoods LLP (on behalf of Association of Institutional Investors) 10/28/2014
Registrant McGuireWoods Consulting View Report
Issue Tax policy advice
Client McGuireWoods LLP (on behalf of Genworth Financials, Inc.) 10/28/2014
Registrant McGuireWoods Consulting View Report
Issue Issues related to tax policy matters in the areas of insurance, retirement and international tax issues
Client McGuireWoods LLP (on behalf of TIAA-CREF) 10/28/2014
Registrant McGuireWoods Consulting View Report
Issue Issues related to taxation of insurance companies, insurance products and retirement accounts
Client National Association of Development Organizations 10/27/2014
Registrant Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC View Report
Issue FY15 EDA budget & policy
Client HealthWORKS 10/27/2014
Registrant LOCKRIDGE GRINDAL NAUEN P.L.L.P. View Report
Issue Health Insurance, Health Care

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