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Colorado vs Georgia

Federal spending comparison

Georgia accounts for $9.7B in USAspending.gov obligations; Colorado accounts for $8.1B. The dollar gap is modest next to the population gap: Georgia has 11,180,878 residents, Colorado 5,957,493. Spending per capita is almost a dead heat — $97.34 in Colorado and $95.66 in Georgia. Award counts run the other way from dollars: 278,028 in Georgia versus 91,723 in Colorado. Lead industries are aircraft manufacturing in Georgia and nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation in Colorado. FY2026 obligations are $579.9M in Colorado and $1.1B in Georgia, so the latest year favors Georgia more than the stacked totals do.

Key figures

  • Georgia $9.7B vs Colorado $8.1B in USAspending obligations.
  • Per capita nearly tied: Colorado $97.34 vs Georgia $95.66.
  • Populations 5,957,493 vs 11,180,878; awards 91,723 vs 278,028.
  • FY2026 $579.9M vs $1.1B; charter freight (CO) vs aircraft manufacturing (GA).
  • Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

A close dollar race on uneven population

Georgia’s $9.7B versus Colorado’s $8.1B is about a 1.2× gap in USAspending.gov obligations. Population is about 1.9× (11,180,878 vs 5,957,493). Because people diverge more than dollars, Colorado edges the per-capita reading, $97.34 to $95.66. That is a small intensity difference on two mid-size files, not an inversion of the dollar ranking.

Award counts do invert relative to per capita. Georgia has 278,028 awards; Colorado has 91,723. Georgia’s file is busier in rows on a similar dollar stock. Colorado’s 91,723 actions on $8.1B imply a heavier typical booking than Georgia’s 278,028 actions on $9.7B. Dollars, rows, and per-person intensity tell three slightly different stories.

Colorado’s 91,723 awards on $8.1B and Georgia’s 278,028 awards on $9.7B mean Georgia’s file is much busier for only a modest dollar edge. That is the row story hiding under the per-capita near-tie of $97.34 and $95.66.

Charter freight in Colorado, aircraft manufacturing in Georgia

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Georgia’s is aircraft manufacturing. Both sit in the air-and-aerospace neighborhood, but they are not the same NAICS peak. One is charter freight; the other is building aircraft. Those labels ride on $8.1B and $9.7B, not on a shared production line.

An aircraft-manufacturing lead can concentrate large production awards inside Georgia’s 278,028 rows. A charter-freight lead can mark a different kind of air award inside Colorado’s 91,723 rows. Treat each as the tallest bar, then use the Colorado and Georgia state hubs for agencies and recipients.

Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation and aircraft manufacturing are related only at the level of “air.” They are different NAICS peaks on 5,957,493 and 11,180,878 residents. FY2026’s $579.9M versus $1.1B is Georgia’s stronger recency lead on the same obligations series, not a Treasury outlay.

Full analysis: Colorado vs Georgia on USAspending: $8.1B vs $9.7B, nearly tied per person →

Questions

Does Georgia or Colorado have more federal spending?
Georgia leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $9.7B to Colorado’s $8.1B. Colorado slightly leads spending per capita, $97.34 versus $95.66, on 5,957,493 residents against Georgia’s 11,180,878. Georgia has more awards (278,028 vs 91,723). FY2026 obligations are $1.1B in Georgia and $579.9M in Colorado.
Why are Colorado and Georgia so close on spending per capita?
Georgia’s $9.7B on 11,180,878 residents yields $95.66 per capita. Colorado’s $8.1B on 5,957,493 residents yields $97.34. Population is nearly double in Georgia while dollars are only about 20% higher, which compresses the per-person gap. Award counts (278,028 vs 91,723) still favor Georgia.
What industries lead Colorado and Georgia federal awards?
Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Georgia’s is aircraft manufacturing. Those peaks sit on $8.1B and $9.7B in obligations. They are the largest industry slices, not a full account of 91,723 Colorado awards or 278,028 Georgia awards.
Are Colorado vs Georgia figures outlays?
No. The $8.1B and $9.7B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $579.9M and $1.1B, are USAspending.gov obligations. Treasury outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($97.34 vs $95.66) uses Census population against obligations. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.

Side-by-side federal spending and demographic comparison between Colorado and Georgia.
ColoradoMetricGeorgia
$27.81BTotal Spending$48.93B
$5KPer Capita$4K
N/A% of GDPN/A
6.0MPopulation11.2M
N/AMedian IncomeN/A
N/APoverty RateN/A
N/ABachelor Degree %N/A
N/AMedian AgeN/A
N/AUnemploymentN/A
N/AGDP (Millions)N/A

Top Agencies — Colorado

  • Department of Defense$63.98B
  • Social Security Administration$61.96B
  • Department of Health and Human Services$57.66B
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration$22.31B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$15.38B

Top Agencies — Georgia

  • Social Security Administration$120.90B
  • Department of Health and Human Services$89.19B
  • Department of Defense$42.51B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$25.38B
  • Department of Agriculture$20.00B

Top Industries — Colorado

  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES$15.76B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY$10.31B
  • NONSCHEDULED CHARTERED FREIGHT AIR TRANSPORTATION$10.08B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$9.18B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY)$9.12B

Top Industries — Georgia

  • AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING$13.98B
  • COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$4.72B
  • ENGINEERING SERVICES$4.68B
  • FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES$4.07B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$3.45B