Alaska vs Kentucky

A $330 million stock gap on a sixfold population gap

Kentucky’s $3.82B stacked total is about 1.09 times Alaska’s $3.49B. That is a thin lead on the dollar column. Kentucky’s Census count of 4,588,372 is about 6.2 times Alaska’s 740,133. The same USAspending.gov obligation series, read against those populations, produces spending per capita of $532.17 in Alaska and $142.10 in Kentucky. The smaller state carries more federal obligation per resident in this packet. The larger state carries more of the raw stock.

Do not treat $532.17 or $142.10 as Treasury cash per person. They are packet ratios of USAspending.gov obligations beside Census population where present. Outlays are a different series and can lag the obligation date. The comparison hub keeps the two states on the same obligation definition so the $3.49B and $3.82B stocks remain comparable.

Alaska’s 25,423 awards sit on $3.49B. Kentucky’s 140,157 awards sit on $3.82B. Average action size is not in the packet, so this page does not invent one. What the packet does show is that Kentucky’s file is far busier on row count while Alaska’s file is hotter on the per-capita ratio.

Construction in Alaska, courier traffic in Kentucky

Alaska’s lead NAICS is commercial and institutional building construction. Kentucky’s lead NAICS is couriers and express delivery services. Those labels are the largest industry slices on $3.49B and $3.82B; they are not the entire mix. Construction awards can concentrate dollars in relatively few actions. Courier and express work can generate many actions, which fits Kentucky’s 140,157-row file against Alaska’s 25,423.

The state hubs for Alaska and Kentucky break agencies and recipients behind those peaks. This comparison only names the top industry each packet lists. Both peaks are obligation mixes from USAspending.gov, not outlay mixes from a Treasury cash file.

Questions

Does Alaska or Kentucky have more federal spending?

Kentucky leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.82B to Alaska’s $3.49B. Alaska leads spending per capita, $532.17 versus $142.10, on 740,133 residents against Kentucky’s 4,588,372. Kentucky has far more awards (140,157 vs 25,423). FY2026 obligations are $652.0M in Kentucky and $393.9M in Alaska.

Why is Alaska’s per-capita federal spending so much higher?

Alaska’s spending per capita is $532.17 on a Census count of 740,133. Kentucky’s is $142.10 on 4,588,372. Stacked obligations are close, $3.49B versus $3.82B, so the smaller population produces the hotter ratio. The figures are packet ratios of USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays per resident.

What industries lead in Alaska and Kentucky?

Alaska’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Kentucky’s is couriers and express delivery services. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $3.49B and $3.82B. Award counts are 25,423 in Alaska and 140,157 in Kentucky. Both mixes are USAspending.gov obligations.

Are Alaska vs Kentucky figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $3.49B and $3.82B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $393.9M and $652.0M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($532.17 vs $142.10) uses Census population where present. Spending per capita uses Census population where present and should not be read as cash per resident.