New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco are examined using the US Bureau of the Census, Consolidated Federal Funds Reports. These data are examined in terms of the age-adjusted, per capita receipt of funds and show that spending in central cities increased at a faster rate than in their suburbs. In major categories of spending, such as procurement and grants, as well as for the majority of agencies and grants examined, the central cities experienced a marked relative improvement. Correlation of federal receipts with a composite urban hardship index at the beginning and end of the decade confirms this general equity improvement. Concerns remain with trends in direct payments to individuals that are not needs-based, and with direct loans and insurance programmes that strongly favour the suburbs.
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