Alabama vs Virginia

A Southern neighbor, not a Beltway peer

Alabama and Virginia are both South Atlantic/South Central states in casual geography, but they are not peers on the USAspending ledger. $7.7B versus $110.8B is more than a 1-to-14 gap. Alabama’s population is about 59 percent of Virginia’s 8,811,195, so headcount explains only a slice of the dollar difference. Place-of-performance reporting puts a large professional-services stock in Virginia.

$7.7B is still a substantial federal book for Alabama. The comparison is relative to Virginia’s $110.8B contractor-hub aggregate, not a claim that Alabama lacks federal work.

Alabama’s 5,157,699 residents are closer to Maryland’s 6,263,220 than to Virginia’s 8,811,195, but Alabama’s $7.7B is far below Maryland’s $30.1B as well as Virginia’s $110.8B. Neighbor-region geography does not predict the USAspending stock. Place-of-performance reporting does. This pair is the construction-led Southern state against the computer-services hub.

Commercial and institutional building construction

Alabama’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction — the same leading description California and Hawaii carry in this batch. Virginia’s top industry is other computer related services. Buildings versus IT services is the industry contrast. Construction as a top code often reflects facilities work charged to Alabama place of performance.

Alabama’s award count is 161,254 versus Virginia’s 1,116,647. Construction awards can be lumpy and fewer than services modifications. This page does not assign a percentage of $7.7B to buildings; top industry is the largest slice only.

Commercial and institutional building construction as Alabama’s top industry is a facilities signal. It can include a wide range of federal building work without this page naming bases or agencies. Virginia’s other computer related services label is the services counterpart. Alabama’s 161,254 awards versus 1,116,647 show a thinner action file under $7.7B versus $110.8B.

Questions

How does Alabama federal spending compare with Virginia?

Alabama shows $7.7B in USAspending obligations; Virginia shows $110.8B. Alabama’s population is 5,157,699 versus 8,811,195 in Virginia. Totals are obligations, not Treasury outlays. FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

What is Alabama’s top federal industry versus Virginia?

Alabama’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Those NAICS descriptions are the leading slices in SpendingVault’s aggregates, not a complete list of either state’s federal awards. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

What is Alabama’s federal spending per capita vs Virginia?

Alabama’s spending per capita is $116.81. Virginia’s is $1,344.24. Both divide USAspending obligations by Census population (5,157,699 and 8,811,195). Per-capita is a scaling statistic, not a payment to residents. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

How many federal awards are in Alabama vs Virginia?

Alabama has 161,254 awards in this aggregate; Virginia has 1,116,647. Award counts include contracts, grants, and modifications. Virginia also leads on dollars, $110.8B versus Alabama’s $7.7B. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.