California vs Utah
Federal spending comparison
California’s USAspending.gov obligation stock is $39.5B; Utah’s is $4.1B. Utah files only 26,509 awards against California’s 639,340 — a concentrated tape on $4.1B. Census counts are 3,503,613 in Utah and 39,431,263 in California. Spending per capita is $199.06 versus $135.64, an intensity win for Utah. FY2026 obligations are $697.4M in Utah and $5.3B in California. Nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding leads Utah; commercial and institutional building construction leads California. These figures are obligations, not outlays.
Key figures
- California $39.5B vs Utah $4.1B in stacked USAspending obligations.
- Utah leads per capita $199.06 vs California $135.64 on 3,503,613 vs 39,431,263 residents.
- Utah files only 26,509 awards vs California’s 639,340.
- FY2026 $5.3B vs $697.4M; nonferrous metal rolling leads Utah.
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
A metals peak on 26,509 awards
Utah’s lead NAICS is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. That specialty-metals label is unusual among California pairings in this slice. It sits on $4.1B against California’s $39.5B commercial-construction peak. A rolling-and-drawing mix can concentrate dollars at a few mills. The packet names the peak; it does not name the plants.
Utah’s 26,509 awards against California’s 639,340 is about 4 percent of the California row count on about 10 percent of the dollars. The Utah tape is concentrated. Use the California and Utah state hubs for agencies and recipients. Cite USAspending.gov.
Utah’s $199.06 reading
Utah’s 3,503,613 residents are about 9 percent of California’s 39,431,263. Utah’s $4.1B is about 10 percent of California’s $39.5B. Dollars slightly outrun population, which is why $199.06 exceeds $135.64. Scale is California’s. Intensity is Utah’s.
Keep those per-capita figures labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations. They are not outlays per resident. Place-of-performance for metal rolling can sit at a mill. The packet does not reallocate.
Full analysis: California vs Utah on USAspending: $39.5B against $4.1B →
Questions
- Does California or Utah have more federal spending?
- California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Utah’s $4.1B. Utah leads spending per capita, $199.06 versus $135.64, on 3,503,613 residents against California’s 39,431,263. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 26,509 in Utah. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $697.4M in Utah.
- What is Utah’s lead industry versus California?
- Utah’s top industry is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. California’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $4.1B and $39.5B. Award counts are 26,509 in Utah and 639,340 in California. The figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
- Why does Utah have so few awards?
- The packet reports 26,509 awards in Utah on $4.1B versus 639,340 in California on $39.5B. Utah’s metals-rolling peak is a mix that can concentrate dollars in fewer mill actions. Spending per capita is $199.06 versus $135.64. The packet lists USAspending.gov obligations only.
- Are California vs Utah figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $39.5B and $4.1B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $697.4M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $199.06) uses Census population where present. Award counts in the packet are all-years totals, not a single fiscal year’s actions.
State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.
| California | Metric | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| $222.27B | Total Spending | $12.31B |
| $6K | Per Capita | $4K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 39.4M | Population | 3.5M |
| 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 — Utah
- Department of Defense$33.86B
- Social Security Administration$29.09B
- Department of Health and Human Services$25.69B
- Department of Education$5.77B
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration$4.55B
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 — Utah
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$12.40B
- GUIDED MISSILE AND SPACE VEHICLE MANUFACTURING$11.72B
- GUIDED MISSILE AND SPACE VEHICLE PROPULSION UNIT AND PROPULSION UNIT PARTS MANUFACTURING$4.45B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$1.39B
- COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$1.37B
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · California · Utah