Alaska vs Virginia

Three and a half billion dollars on a 740,133-person base

USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays, put Alaska at $3.5B and Virginia at $110.8B. Virginia’s total is about 32 times Alaska’s. Virginia’s population is about 12 times Alaska’s 740,133. The leftover after that population ratio is still a large dollar gap, which is why per capita remains higher in Virginia ($1,344.24 vs $532.17).

Award counts are 25,423 in Alaska and 1,116,647 in Virginia. Alaska’s file is thin in count and thick relative to population. Remote construction, military installations, and federal facilities in a huge land area can produce lumpy obligations without producing Virginia’s award volume.

Per capita is Alaska’s distinctive column

At $532.17 per resident, Alaska is in a different per-capita band than the $80–$150 states that also sit near a few billion dollars in this comparison set. Virginia still leads at $1,344.24. The $532.17 figure is the reason Alaska should not be grouped mentally with every other $3.5B-class state.

Divide $3.5B by 740,133 and the arithmetic is straightforward. Divide $110.8B by 8,811,195 and Virginia still comes out higher. Both divisions use Census population. Neither is an outlay per taxpayer.

Questions

How much federal spending is in Alaska vs Virginia?

Alaska has $3.5B in USAspending.gov obligations and 25,423 awards; Virginia has $110.8B and 1,116,647 awards. Alaska’s Census population is 740,133; Virginia’s is 8,811,195. Spending per capita is $532.17 versus $1,344.24. FY2026 obligations are $393.9M and $11.8B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why is Alaska’s per-capita federal spending relatively high?

Alaska’s $3.5B is divided across only 740,133 residents, producing $532.17 per capita. Virginia’s $110.8B across 8,811,195 residents produces $1,344.24. Alaska is still below Virginia per person, but $532.17 is far above many states with similar headline totals because the denominator is so small.

What is Alaska’s top federal contracting industry vs Virginia’s?

Alaska’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Those slices sit on $3.5B and $110.8B in obligations. Construction projects can be large and infrequent; computer-services awards in Virginia are numerous (1,116,647 awards in the state file).

Are Alaska and Virginia figures from Treasury outlay data?

No. They come from USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments that may follow later. The $3.5B and $110.8B aggregates, and FY2026 amounts of $393.9M and $11.8B, measure commitments on awards with a place of performance in each state, not checks issued by Treasury.