California vs North Carolina

429,746 awards on $6.3B

North Carolina’s award tape is the distinctive fact. 429,746 actions on $6.3B means many small bookings relative to California’s 639,340 actions on $39.5B. North Carolina’s row count is about 67 percent of California’s on about 16 percent of the dollars. The pharmaceutical-preparation peak is consistent with many discrete manufacturing and related actions mixed into a busy statewide tape.

Population is 11,046,024 versus 39,431,263. North Carolina is about 28 percent of California’s Census count and about 16 percent of California’s $39.5B. Dollars lag population, which is why $66.77 trails $135.64. The award-count surprise does not reverse intensity.

North Carolina’s $6.3B pharmaceutical-preparation stock on 11,046,024 residents is a busy 429,746-row tape with a cool $66.77 reading; California’s $39.5B construction-led stock on 39,431,263 residents carries $135.64. FY2026 of $737.5M versus $5.3B does not reorder that ranking.

Drug manufacturing in North Carolina, buildings in California

North Carolina’s lead NAICS is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. California’s lead NAICS is commercial and institutional building construction. A drug-manufacturing peak on $6.3B is a different federal buying pattern than a facilities peak on $39.5B. The packet names those peaks; it does not give shares.

Use the California and North Carolina state hubs for agencies and recipients. Cite USAspending.gov. The 429,746 and 639,340 rows include many other NAICS codes. Do not treat the pharmaceutical-preparation peak as an outlay category.

Questions

Does California or North Carolina have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to North Carolina’s $6.3B. California also leads spending per capita, $135.64 versus $66.77, on 39,431,263 residents against North Carolina’s 11,046,024. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 429,746 in North Carolina. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $737.5M in North Carolina.

Why does North Carolina have so many awards on $6.3B?

The packet reports 429,746 awards in North Carolina on $6.3B versus 639,340 in California on $39.5B. North Carolina’s lead industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, a mix that can generate many discrete actions. Spending per capita is $66.77 versus $135.64. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in California and North Carolina?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. North Carolina’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $6.3B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 429,746 in North Carolina. Those peaks are mix labels on the stacked stocks, not inventories of every award.

Are California vs North Carolina figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $6.3B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $737.5M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $66.77) uses Census population where present. Award counts in the packet are all-years totals, not a single fiscal year’s actions.