Which Industry Spends the Most on Lobbying?

In the U.S. political system, lobbying is par for the course. Like other interest groups, major industries and leading corporations seek to influence lawmakers. For businesses, this means presenting their case to ensure that any legislation and regulations that are passed are as favorable as possible to their bottom lines.

Corporate political activity can take the form of campaign contributions, but companies and industries also employ lobbyists to make their views known to lawmakers and regulators.

Here, using data from OpenSecrets.org, we break down lobbying efforts, industry by industry, from 1998 to mid-2025. Figures are calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics based on data from the Senate Office of Public Records.

Let’s take a closer look at how much each industry spends on lobbying, the top corporate spenders in each category, and what spurs their lobbying efforts.

Pharmaceuticals/Health Products: $6,360,618,753

Spending more than $6.36 billion from 1998 to mid-2025, the pharmaceutical and health products industry has far outpaced all others in lobbying spending. The industry spent a record $387.47 million on lobbying in 2024, compared to $275.28 million in 2009 amid debates about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

This includes spending on behalf of drug manufacturers, as well as sellers of medical products, nutritional, and dietary supplements. The main drugmakers’ lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, remained the biggest spender within the healthcare sector in 2024 with outlays of more than $31.72 million.

The pharmaceutical/health industry is also a top spender in political campaigns, with contributions reaching a total of $41.02 million in 2024.

Insurance: $3,776,437,624

The insurance industry includes the health, property, and auto insurance companies, along with agents and brokers. It has historically mounted a lobbying effort second only to that of drugmakers and other healthcare product providers.

From 1998 to 2025, the insurance industry spent nearly $3.8 billion on lobbying. Health insurance companies have occasionally fought over healthcare legislation against drugmakers, hospitals, and other healthcare providers, with each group blaming others for fast-rising costs. In 2024, Ryan Specialty Group led industry lobbying efforts, spending more than $13.7 million. It was followed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield with $4.1 million

In the 2024 election cycle, individuals and political action committees (PACs) aligned with the insurance industry made a total of $117 million in contributions to federal political campaigns.

Electronics Manufacturing and Equipment: $3,661,853,277

This category includes many of the largest software, computer hardware, and semiconductor suppliers. While the sector trails electric utilities slightly in political spending since 1998, it outspends them with lobbying costs, spending over $3.66 billion from 1998 to mid-2025. Oracle Corp. (ORCL) led with spending of $11.83 million in 2024, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) at $9.48 million.

The technology sector continues to grow in profitability, leading to an increase in political contributions from tech companies. Its donations nearly doubled from 1994 to 1996, passing $10 million in the mid-1990s. In the 2024 election cycle, political contributions reached $175.07 million.

The giving and spending have been relatively bipartisan in the past, but this changed in the 2020 election cycle. Democrats were the primary recipients of contributions from this sector in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Electric Utilities: $3,216,434,529

Utilities are a highly regulated industry with service rates that must be approved by state utility commissions. These companies have a high stake in federal environmental and climate legislation, so heavy lobbying has long been key to the business model. They are particularly interested in legislation that impacts:

• Regulation of pollution and carbon emissions
• Waste storage
• Cybersecurity
• Infrastructure

The electric utilities industry spent $3.22 billion on lobbying from 1998 to 2025, including $130.81 million in 2024 alone. Southern Co and utility association Edison Electric Institute were the top spending organizations at $11.03 million and $10.65 million in 2024, respectively.

Business Associations: $3,091,129,116

This grouping includes associations for small business, big business, and international trade, as well as chambers of commerce. Business associations, which have gone from Republican-leaning to overwhelmingly Republican in recent years, spent $3.09 billion on lobbying from 1998 to 2025.

Business associations lobby on issues such as:

• Labor laws
• Intellectual property
• Product safety
• Corporate taxes

The group, which represents millions of businesses and is funded by some of the largest U.S. corporations, has made tort reform limiting plaintiffs’ rights and civil damage awards its top priority. Another key issue is corporate tax reform, including taxation of U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies.

Oil and Gas: $2,987,569,597

The oil and gas industry has historically supported legislators from fossil fuel states who share its views on the importance of cutting taxes and regulations. Since 2021, the industry has been engaged in a debate about who is to blame for high energy prices, arguing that over-regulation is to blame rather than companies’ refusal to invest in increased output.

The industry spent $153.16 million on lobbying in 2024, with American Fuel & Petrochem Manufacturers spending the most at $27.65 million. Well-known lobbyist Koch Industries was the second-highest spender in oil and gas lobbying, spending a total of $11.05 million in 2024.

However, Koch Industries is the highest spender in oil and gas campaign contributions. Koch Industries spent more than $57 million in political donations in the 2024 election cycle. The second-highest spender in oil and gas campaign contributions, Crownquest Operating, contributed just over $35 million in that same time.

Hospitals/Nursing Homes: $2,501,069,601

This category includes all healthcare institutions: hospitals, nursing homes, hospice providers, and drug and alcohol inpatient centers. The industry has tended to favor Democrats, joining them in pushing for expanded Medicare and Medicaid coverage, though hospitals opposed the Medicare for All plan. The industry has benefited from generous treatment in COVID-19 pandemic relief legislation, while rejecting blame for surprise medical bills.

Healthcare institutions spent over $2.5 billion on lobbying from 1998 to 2025. More than $134 million of that amount was spent in 2023, with the American Hospital Association by far the largest spender at $30.22 million. The industry’s highest level of campaign contributions was in 2020, when donations reached about $55 million.

Miscellaneous Manufacturing and Distributing: $2,450,817,296

This category includes leading industrials like Honeywell International Inc. (HON) and Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), along with top consumer companies including Procter & Gamble (PG) and Nike Inc. (NKE). Its lobbying interests reflect this diversity, while contributions consistently favor Republicans.

The companies and industry associations grouped here spent $117.91 million on lobbying in 2024, led by Honeywell with $9.93 million. From 1998 to 2024, this industry spent a total of $2.45 billion on lobbying.

The Bottom Line

Lobbying is a way for industries and companies to influence legislation in their favor. It is a big part of the U.S. political system, with many industry associations and corporations contributing to the campaigns of politicians and political parties, looking after their interests.

From 1998 to 2024, the sector that spent the most on lobbying efforts was health, reaching a total of over $12.97 billion. Other top spenders include insurance, business, electronics, and energy.