U.S. Lobbying Data

Overview

The U.S. Lobbying Data dataset provides comprehensive real-time and historical coverage of all U.S. federal lobbying activity from 1999 to the present. The dataset standardizes and enriches publicly filed lobbying disclosures into a research-ready format, enabling large-scale analysis of policy influence, regulatory exposure, and political economy dynamics.

The dataset includes over 1.6 million lobbying contracts, covering 200,000+ entities, 13,000+ lobbying firms, and 78,000+ registered lobbyists. LobbyingData applies proprietary extraction and normalization methods to derive 44+ structured attributes from government filings, dramatically reducing the time and effort required to work with raw disclosure documents.

All publicly traded entities are mapped to stock ticker symbols, making the dataset particularly well suited for integration with financial, economic, and firm-level datasets.

Coverage

Nationwide coverage of U.S. federal lobbying activity from 1999 to present, spanning over 1.6 million lobbying contracts across 200,000+ entities, 13,000+ lobbying firms, and 78,000+ registered lobbyists, with monthly incremental updates.

Data Source & Methodology

The U.S. Lobbying Data dataset is derived from official federal lobbying disclosures filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) and published by the U.S. Senate Office of Public Records. LobbyingData ingests these filings programmatically and applies proprietary parsing, normalization, and entity-resolution techniques to transform raw disclosure documents into a structured, research-ready dataset.

Advanced data processing methods are used to standardize entity names, associate lobbyists with firms and clients, and extract detailed issue, bill, and agency information from unstructured filing text.

Entity Resolution & Enrichment

LobbyingData applies entity-matching and enrichment workflows to improve longitudinal consistency and cross-dataset integration. This includes:

• Normalized client, firm, and lobbyist identifiers
• Consolidation of name variations across filings
• Mapping of publicly traded client entities to stock ticker symbols
• Standardized issue and policy area classifications

These enhancements enable reliable firm-level, industry-level, and network-level analysis over time.

Spending & Disclosure Considerations

Reported lobbying expenditures reflect figures disclosed in federal filings and may be presented as totals or ranges, depending on reporting rules in effect at the time of filing. Spending values represent reported lobbying activity only and should not be interpreted as capturing all forms of political influence or informal advocacy.

Key Concepts

Lobbying Contract

A lobbying contract represents a formal agreement between a client entity and a lobbying firm (or in-house registrant) to influence U.S. federal policy. Contracts are reported via required federal filings and may span multiple reporting periods.

Client Entity

The organization engaging in lobbying activity. Clients include corporations, nonprofits, trade associations, universities, and government-affiliated entities.

Lobbying Firm

The firm or organization registered to conduct lobbying activities on behalf of one or more clients. Firms may employ multiple registered lobbyists.

Lobbyist

An individual registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) who engages in lobbying activities. Lobbyists may work across multiple clients and issue areas.

Issues & Policy Areas

Each contract includes standardized issue codes and descriptions that capture policy domains such as healthcare, energy, defense, taxation, telecommunications, and financial regulation.

Bills & Government Bodies

Where available, filings reference specific bills, executive agencies, or congressional bodies targeted by lobbying efforts.

Public Company Mapping

Publicly traded client entities are mapped to stock ticker symbols, enabling longitudinal firm-level analysis and linkage to financial datasets.

Limitations & Caveats

• Lobbying disclosures are self-reported and may vary in completeness and specificity.
• Issue codes provide high-level categorization; detailed policy interpretation may require supplemental legislative context.
• Coverage is limited to federal lobbying activity and does not include state or local lobbying filings.