Alabama vs New Jersey

Matched billions, a 7-to-1 award file

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. New Jersey’s $8.1B edges Alabama’s $7.7B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Among two states with stocks that round to the same billion, the paperwork volume is the split that matters: 1,162,765 actions in New Jersey versus 161,254 in Alabama.

That row gap implies a much smaller typical booking in New Jersey. Alabama’s $7,682,295,934 sits on 161,254 records. New Jersey’s $8,084,032,234 is spread across more than a million actions. Dollars are close; row counts are not. The $8.1B versus $7.7B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

A 7-to-1 award gap on stocks of $7,682,295,934 and $8,084,032,234 means New Jersey’s 1,162,765 actions are the high-volume file and Alabama’s 161,254 actions are the heavier typical booking. Census counts of 5,157,699 versus 9,500,851 explain $116.81 versus $92.49. FY2026 of $602,489,799 versus $878,702,039 should not be folded into those stacked totals. Construction versus pharmaceuticals is mix.

Fewer people in Alabama, higher intensity

New Jersey’s 9,500,851 residents exceed Alabama’s 5,157,699. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Alabama shows $116.81 per capita and New Jersey shows $92.49. Intensity favors Alabama even though New Jersey holds the larger stacked total and the much larger award file.

A $116.81 per-person reading in Alabama on 5,157,699 residents is attached to $7.7B. New Jersey’s $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents is attached to $8.1B. This table does not score GDP. It scores USAspending place of performance. Close stocks can hide a wide row-count gap and a quieter intensity gap in the opposite direction.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Alabama or New Jersey?

New Jersey leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,084,032,234 versus Alabama’s $7,682,295,934. New Jersey has far more awards (1,162,765 vs 161,254) and more people (9,500,851 vs 5,157,699). Spending per capita is $116.81 in Alabama and $92.49 in New Jersey. FY2026 obligations are $602.5M and $878.7M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does New Jersey have so many more awards than Alabama?

New Jersey logs 1,162,765 awards on $8.1B. Alabama logs 161,254 awards on $7.7B. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows on a near-matched stock, which implies a smaller typical booking. Per capita is $92.49 versus $116.81. Populations are 9,500,851 and 5,157,699. FY2026 favors New Jersey ($878.7M vs $602.5M).

What industries lead Alabama and New Jersey federal awards?

Alabama’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. New Jersey’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those slices sit on $7.7B and $8.1B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 161,254 in Alabama and 1,162,765 in New Jersey.

Are Alabama vs New Jersey figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $7.7B and $8.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $602.5M and $878.7M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.