The graph above uses U.S. national income and product account data to show three shares of government expenditures—state and local, federal defense, and federal nondefense—among total government expenditures. Note that this covers only government consumption and investment, not redistribution. These NIPA data start only in 1999, but we can still see some changes, in particular that the share of state and local government expenditures has become smaller.

The graph below shows exactly the same data but in a different way. It displays the absolute numbers instead of shares. State and local government expenditures have increased slightly, while federal expenditures have increased much more.

How these graphs were created: Search for “Real Government Consumption Expenditures & Gross Investment,” select the relevant series, and add them to the graph. In the graph settings, set type to “Area” and stacking to “Percent.” For the second graph, set type to “Bar” and stacking to “None.”

Suggested by Christian Zimmermann