Alabama vs North Carolina

Alabama’s larger stock on fewer people

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Alabama’s $7.7B stock sits $1.3 billion above North Carolina’s $6.3B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. North Carolina has more than twice Alabama’s Census count (11,046,024 versus 5,157,699) and still trails on stacked dollars.

North Carolina logs 429,746 awards; Alabama logs 161,254. North Carolina’s busier file on a smaller stock implies a lighter typical booking. Alabama’s $7.7B on 161,254 actions is the heavier book. Dollars favor Alabama; paperwork volume favors North Carolina. The $7.7B versus $6.3B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

Alabama’s $7,682,295,934 on 5,157,699 residents versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185 on 11,046,024 residents is the stacked-and-intensity ranking. Award rows of 161,254 versus 429,746 and FY2026 of $602,489,799 versus $737,511,771 are the counters. Per capita of $116.81 versus $66.77 follows from those stocks and those people. Building construction versus pharmaceuticals is mix. Do not fold the latest year into the stacked totals.

Alabama’s $116.81 versus North Carolina’s $66.77

Alabama’s 5,157,699 residents against $7.7B produce $116.81 per capita. North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents against $6.3B produce $66.77. Intensity in Alabama is about 1.75 times North Carolina’s. Population is the engine of that split: more people in North Carolina spread a smaller stock more thinly.

A $116.81 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $7.7B, not a household payment. North Carolina’s $66.77 is attached to $6.3B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Alabama can lead stacked dollars and intensity while trailing on rows and on FY2026.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Alabama or North Carolina?

Alabama leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $7,682,295,934 versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185. North Carolina has more awards (429,746 vs 161,254) and more people (11,046,024 vs 5,157,699). Spending per capita is $116.81 in Alabama and $66.77 in North Carolina. FY2026 obligations are $602.5M and $737.5M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Does North Carolina outpace Alabama in the latest fiscal year?

Yes. FY2026 obligations are $737,511,771 in North Carolina versus $602,489,799 in Alabama. The stacked ranking still favors Alabama ($7.7B vs $6.3B). Award counts are 429,746 versus 161,254. Per capita is $66.77 versus $116.81. Populations are 11,046,024 and 5,157,699.

What industries lead Alabama and North Carolina federal awards?

Alabama’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. North Carolina’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those slices sit on $7.7B and $6.3B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 161,254 in Alabama and 429,746 in North Carolina.

Are Alabama vs North Carolina figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $7.7B and $6.3B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $602.5M and $737.5M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.