Arkansas vs Vermont

Scale in the stacked file, a recency cliff in FY2026

Vermont’s $1.0B stacked stock is not a tiny file. It is still well below Arkansas’s $1.7B, and the latest year opens a much wider gap. Arkansas’s $262.7M FY2026 obligations are several times Vermont’s $47.3M. Recency is an obligation slice from USAspending.gov, not cash paid, but it is the cut that makes this pair look less even than the all-years totals.

Population does the rest of the stacked work. Arkansas’s 3,088,354 residents versus Vermont’s 648,493 is a large Census gap. Intensity does not widen by the same factor: $85.06 per capita in Arkansas and $72.92 in Vermont. Cite USAspending.gov. Keep both ratios labeled as Census-based packet figures.

Poultry processing versus missile and space vehicle parts

Arkansas’s lead industry is poultry processing. Vermont’s is other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. A processing peak on $1.7B and a missile-and-space-parts peak on $1.0B are different mixes. Poultry processing is a first read on Arkansas. Missile and space vehicle parts are a first read on Vermont.

Vermont’s specialized manufacturing peak sits on 12,020 awards, not on Arkansas’s 79,590-row log. The rest of each mix lives outside those NAICS labels. Use the Arkansas and Vermont state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not in the packet.

Vermont’s other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing peak is the distinctive mix cut. It sits on $1.0B, 12,020 awards, and 648,493 residents, not on a FY2026 spike. Arkansas’s poultry-processing peak sits on $1.7B, 79,590 awards, and $262.7M in the latest year. Cite USAspending.gov. Specialized manufacturing is mix, not a substitute for the recency slice of $47.3M.

Questions

Does Arkansas or Vermont have more federal spending?

Arkansas leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $1.7B to Vermont’s $1.0B. Arkansas also leads spending per capita ($85.06 vs $72.92), awards (79,590 vs 12,020), and FY2026 obligations ($262.7M vs $47.3M). Population is 3,088,354 in Arkansas and 648,493 in Vermont. Both dollar series are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

Why is the FY2026 gap wider than the stacked ranking?

Stacked stocks mix years. FY2026 is a recency slice: $262.7M in Arkansas versus $47.3M in Vermont. The all-years totals remain $1.7B versus $1.0B. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Recency does not convert either figure into cash paid. Vermont’s 648,493 residents and 12,020 awards sit on the smaller recency slice.

What industries lead in Arkansas and Vermont?

Arkansas’s top industry is poultry processing. Vermont’s is other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $1.7B and $1.0B. Award counts are 79,590 in Arkansas and 12,020 in Vermont.

Are Arkansas vs Vermont figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $1.7B and $1.0B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $262.7M and $47.3M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($85.06 vs $72.92) uses Census population where present. This packet does not publish outlays or average award size.