Estimated U.S. military spending on operations against Iran
$38.1B
Congressional Budget Office estimate, as of August 1, 2026 · source · how we calculate this
$29,000,000,000 itemized in specific reported events · see sources
Separately, Americans have paid more than $100 billion in extra gasoline and diesel costs since the war began, according to the Iran War Energy Cost Tracker from Brown University's Climate Solutions Lab.
A cost to consumers, not military spending, so it is not in our totals · why
Education
528,872
Teachers we could have paid
Housing
88,821
Homes we could have built
Healthcare
4,085,790
People we could have insured
By the Numbers
Confirmed itemized spending by category
The Opportunity Cost
What this money could have built instead
See what your state could have had instead
In the United States, $38,100,000,000 could have funded:
Education
Teacher Salaries (1 year)
@ $72,040 each
528,872
New School Buildings
@ $35,000,000 each
1,088
Free School Lunches (1 year)
@ $900 each
42,333,333
Student Textbook Sets
@ $250 each
152,400,000
Laptops for Students
@ $300 each
127,000,000
Full Pell Grants (1 year)
@ $7,395 each
5,152,129
School Counselor Salaries (1 year)
@ $64,330 each
592,258
New School Buses
@ $120,000 each
317,500
Housing
Median-Priced Homes
@ $428,950 each
88,821
Public Housing Units
@ $250,000 each
152,400
Section 8 Vouchers (1 year)
@ $12,000 each
3,175,000
Homeless Shelter Beds (1 year)
@ $25,000 each
1,524,000
Healthcare
People Insured (1 year)
@ $9,325 each
4,085,790
Nurse Salaries (1 year)
@ $97,550 each
390,568
Hospital Beds
@ $1,000,000 each
38,100
Mental Health Counselors (1 year)
@ $59,350 each
641,954
The Ledger
Day-by-day military expenditures
Pentagon cost accounting through May 12 (balance beyond itemized events)
177,806 teacher salaries
$12,809,200,000
sourceDay 62 — ongoing operations
12,373 teacher salaries
$891,400,000
sourceLoss of MQ-9 Reaper drones in Iran operations
2,887 teacher salaries
$208,000,000
sourceDay 17 — ongoing operations (Operation Epic Fury)
12,373 teacher salaries
$891,400,000
sourceDay 13 — ongoing operations
12,493 teacher salaries
$900,000,000
sourceDay 8 — ongoing operations
13,881 teacher salaries
$1,000,000,000
sourceDay 7 — ongoing operations (~$1B/day)
13,881 teacher salaries
$1,000,000,000
sourceDays 5-6 continued operations and munitions
38,048 teacher salaries
$2,741,000,000
sourceCombat losses — 3 F-15 fighter jets (friendly fire over Kuwait)
4,983 teacher salaries
$359,000,000
sourceDays 3-4 operational costs — air, naval, ground operations
12,493 teacher salaries
$900,000,000
sourceAir defense interceptors — countering Iranian retaliation
23,598 teacher salaries
$1,700,000,000
sourceDay 2 strikes — continued munitions expenditure
33,314 teacher salaries
$2,400,000,000
sourceOpening strikes — Tomahawk and cruise missile salvos
44,419 teacher salaries
$3,200,000,000
source