Alabama vs Louisiana

Gulf neighbors with unmatched recency

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Alabama’s $7.7B stock sits $3.0 billion above Louisiana’s $4.7B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Populations of 5,157,699 and 4,597,740 put both states in a similar size band. The comparison is not a giant-versus-small contest on people.

Alabama logs 161,254 awards on $7.7B. Louisiana logs 72,577 awards on $4.7B. Alabama’s busier file on a larger stock is consistent with more actions. Louisiana’s thinner file implies a heavier typical booking. Dollars favor Alabama; intensity and FY2026 favor Louisiana.

Alabama’s 5,157,699 residents and Louisiana’s 4,597,740 residents look like Gulf peers. Stacked dollars of $7,682,295,934 versus $4,707,913,049 still favor Alabama. FY2026 of $602,489,799 versus $1,232,995,601 already favors Louisiana by about 2-to-1. Per capita of $116.81 versus $268.17 is the intensity inversion. Award rows of 161,254 versus 72,577 stay with Alabama. Buildings versus ships is mix.

Louisiana’s $268.17 versus Alabama’s $116.81

Alabama’s 5,157,699 residents against $7.7B produce $116.81 per capita. Louisiana’s 4,597,740 residents against $4.7B produce $268.17. Intensity in Louisiana is more than double Alabama’s even though the Census counts are close and Alabama holds the larger stacked total.

A $268.17 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $4.7B, not a household check. Alabama’s $116.81 is attached to $7.7B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar people can still hide a wide per-resident split when FY2026 already favors Louisiana by about 2-to-1.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Alabama or Louisiana?

Alabama leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $7,682,295,934 versus Louisiana’s $4,707,913,049. Alabama has more awards (161,254 vs 72,577) and slightly more people (5,157,699 vs 4,597,740). Spending per capita is $116.81 in Alabama and $268.17 in Louisiana. FY2026 obligations are $602.5M and $1.23B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Does Louisiana outpace Alabama in FY2026?

Yes. FY2026 obligations are $1,232,995,601 in Louisiana versus $602,489,799 in Alabama. The stacked ranking still favors Alabama ($7.7B vs $4.7B). Per capita is $268.17 versus $116.81. Award counts are 72,577 and 161,254. Populations are 4,597,740 and 5,157,699.

What industries lead Alabama and Louisiana federal awards?

Alabama’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Louisiana’s is ship building and repairing. Those slices sit on $7.7B and $4.7B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 161,254 in Alabama and 72,577 in Louisiana.

Are Alabama vs Louisiana figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $7.7B and $4.7B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $602.5M and $1.23B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.