WIOA Adult Program

Authority

WIOA Adult Program is authorized by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title I, Sec. 134 (use of funds for employment and training activities); allotment formula at Sec. 132(b)(1), administered by DOL / ETA, as a formula program. Statute.

Three-factor state formula under WIOA sec. 132(b)(1), each weighted one-third: (1) relative number of unemployed individuals in Areas of Substantial Unemployment (ASUs); (2) relative number of excess unemployed individuals (or excess unemployed in ASUs); (3) relative number of disadvantaged adults (age 22 to 72, excluding college students not in the labor force and the military). PY 2026 used ASU/excess-unemployment data for the 12-month period October 2024 to September 2025 and disadvantaged-adult data from 2016-2020 American Community Survey special tabulations. Hold-harmless constraints apply: a state receives no less than 90 percent of its prior-year allocation percentage (stop-loss) and no more than 130 percent (stop-gain), with a 0.25 percent state minimum (small-state floor). No matching funds are required of states for the formula allotment.

Allocations by jurisdiction

57 jurisdictions, from the published allocation table.

Where the money lands

Place-of-performance obligations by state, with per-capita, sealed in the location chain.

Top recipients

Source documents

9 primary documents, parsed and sealed by content hash.

• Program Year (PY) 2026 WIOA Title I Allotments; PY 2026 Wagner-Peyser ES Allotments and Workforce Information Grants (Federal Register notice, 91 FR 22854) allocation-table
• Program Year (PY) 2025 WIOA Title I Allotments; PY 2025 Wagner-Peyser ES Allotments and Workforce Information Grants (Federal Register notice, 90 FR 21339) allocation-table
• 29 U.S.C. 3174 - Use of funds for employment and training activities (WIOA sec. 134) statute
• 20 CFR Part 680 - Adult and Dislocated Worker Activities Under Title I of WIOA regulation
• 20 CFR Part 680 Subpart E - Priority and Special Populations (priority of service) regulation
• WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Program (ETA official program page) fact-sheet
• WIOA Laws, Regulations, and Guidance library (ETA) guidance
• Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 10-25 (PY 2026 funding allotments and application process) guidance
• PY 2026 WIOA Indian and Native American Programs Employment and Training - Adult (grants.gov / simpler.grants.gov opportunity listing) grant-opportunity, 1 tables

Questions

How does WIOA Adult Program money reach recipients?

Direct formula allotment, not competitive. DOL/ETA allots Adult Activities funds to each state by statutory formula; a state must have an approved WIOA Unified or Combined State Plan to receive its allotment. The Governor reserves a state-level portion, then allocates the remainder to local workforce development areas. Local Workforce Development Boards direct the funds through the one-stop (American Job Center) delivery system to provide career and training services to eligible adults, directly or through contracts with service providers. Outlying areas may submit a single consolidated grant application.

How much federal funding does WIOA Adult Program represent?

As of 2026-06-05, $2.4B was obligated across 137 active awards to 48 recipients in 56 states and 56 counties. This is a sealed point-in-time figure from USAspending, the federal system of record.

What law authorizes WIOA Adult Program?

WIOA Adult Program is authorized by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title I, Sec. 134 (use of funds for employment and training activities); allotment formula at Sec. 132(b)(1), administered by DOL / ETA.