California vs Massachusetts
Federal spending comparison
California accounts for $39.5B in USAspending.gov obligations; Massachusetts accounts for $13.5B. Massachusetts’s spending per capita is $364.70 on 7,136,171 residents versus California’s $135.64 on 39,431,263. Award counts are 639,340 and 294,824. California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction; Massachusetts’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B and $2.6B. Massachusetts’s 294,824 awards versus California’s 639,340 follow the $13.5B versus $39.5B stock more than they invert it. Award counts remain 639,340 in California and 294,824 in Massachusetts.
Key figures
- California $39.5B vs Massachusetts $13.5B in USAspending obligations.
- Per capita $135.64 vs $364.70 on 39,431,263 vs 7,136,171 residents.
- Awards: 639,340 vs 294,824; FY2026 $5.3B vs $2.6B.
- Top industries: commercial and institutional building construction (CA) vs aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing (MA).
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
Massachusetts’s $364.70 vs California’s $135.64
Spending per capita is $135.64 in California and $364.70 in Massachusetts. That intensity ranking does not have to match the stacked dollar ranking of $39.5B versus $13.5B. When people (39,431,263 vs 7,136,171) diverge faster or slower than obligations, per capita flips. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays. Cash payments can lag award dates. Headquarters can differ from the state coded on the award.
Massachusetts’s $364.70 intensity on 7,136,171 residents is the ranking California does not win. Intensity is stacked obligations divided by Census counts. It is not FY2026 alone. It is not GDP. It is not a household check.
Aircraft engines vs building construction
Award counts are 639,340 in California and 294,824 in Massachusetts. Rows can follow dollars, follow people, or follow neither. A flip pair often shows that third path. Aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing on 294,824 Massachusetts awards is a propulsion peak. Commercial and institutional building construction on 639,340 California awards is a facilities peak. Intensity and mix both separate the pair from a simple size ranking.
California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Massachusetts’s top industry is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Mix can help explain a heavier typical action, but it does not compute $135.64 or $364.70. Those ratios are arithmetic on $39.5B, $13.5B, 39,431,263, and 7,136,171.
Full analysis: California vs Massachusetts on USAspending: $39.5B vs $13.5B →
Questions
- Which has more federal spending, California or Massachusetts?
- California shows $39.5B in USAspending.gov obligations; Massachusetts shows $13.5B. Award counts are 639,340 and 294,824. Populations are 39,431,263 and 7,136,171. Spending per capita is $135.64 versus $364.70. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B and $2.6B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
- What industries lead California and Massachusetts federal awards?
- California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Massachusetts’s top industry is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those slices sit on $39.5B and $13.5B in USAspending.gov obligations and on 639,340 versus 294,824 awards. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award.
- How do California and Massachusetts compare on spending per capita?
- Spending per capita is $135.64 in California on 39,431,263 residents and $364.70 in Massachusetts on 7,136,171 residents. Those ratios use stacked USAspending.gov obligations of $39.5B and $13.5B, not FY2026 alone and not GDP. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
- Are California vs Massachusetts figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $39.5B and $13.5B stacked totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $2.6B, are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Award counts are 639,340 and 294,824. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.
| California | Metric | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| $222.27B | Total Spending | $43.05B |
| $6K | Per Capita | $6K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 39.4M | Population | 7.1M |
| N/A | Median Income | N/A |
| N/A | Poverty Rate | N/A |
| N/A | Bachelor Degree % | N/A |
| N/A | Median Age | N/A |
| N/A | Unemployment | N/A |
| N/A | GDP (Millions) | N/A |
Top Agencies — California
- Department of Health and Human Services$961.70B
- Social Security Administration$397.49B
- Department of Defense$301.91B
- Department of Energy$116.54B
- Department of Agriculture$85.61B
Top Agencies — Massachusetts
- Department of Health and Human Services$138.54B
- Department of Defense$112.05B
- Social Security Administration$86.41B
- General Services Administration$13.54B
- Department of Agriculture$11.34B
Top Industries — California
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES$84.92B
- AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING$48.92B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$45.14B
- DIRECT HEALTH AND MEDICAL INSURANCE CARRIERS$42.95B
- COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS$37.36B
Top Industries — Massachusetts
- SEARCH, DETECTION, NAVIGATION, GUIDANCE, AERONAUTICAL, AND NAUTICAL SYSTEM AND INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING$30.64B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY)$17.15B
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$16.64B
- AIRCRAFT ENGINE AND ENGINE PARTS MANUFACTURING$7.61B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$4.93B
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · California · Massachusetts