Colorado vs Louisiana

Close award files, unmatched dollars

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Colorado’s $8.1B stock sits $3.3 billion above Louisiana’s $4.7B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Award counts are closer than the stocks: 91,723 in Colorado and 72,577 in Louisiana. Populations of 5,957,493 and 4,597,740 are also in a similar band.

Matched-order rows with unmatched dollars imply a heavier typical booking in Colorado on the stacked total. Louisiana’s $4.7B on 72,577 actions is still a heavy book. Dollars favor Colorado; intensity and FY2026 favor Louisiana. The $8.1B versus $4.7B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a recency ranking.

Colorado’s 91,723 awards and Louisiana’s 72,577 awards are in the same paperwork band. FY2026 of $579,929,386 versus $1,232,995,601 is not. Stacked dollars of $8,052,957,089 versus $4,707,913,049 still favor Colorado. People of 5,957,493 versus 4,597,740 produce $97.34 versus $268.17. Chartered freight air versus shipyards is mix. Similar row counts do not make similar latest years.

Louisiana’s $268.17 versus Colorado’s $97.34

Colorado’s 5,957,493 residents against $8.1B produce $97.34 per capita. Louisiana’s 4,597,740 residents against $4.7B produce $268.17. Intensity in Louisiana is more than 2.7 times Colorado’s even though Colorado holds the larger stacked total and a similar Census count.

A $268.17 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $4.7B, not a household payment. Colorado’s $97.34 is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar people and similar rows can still hide a wide per-resident split when FY2026 already favors Louisiana.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Colorado or Louisiana?

Colorado leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,052,957,089 versus Louisiana’s $4,707,913,049. Award counts are closer (91,723 vs 72,577). Populations are 5,957,493 and 4,597,740. Spending per capita is $97.34 in Colorado and $268.17 in Louisiana. FY2026 obligations are $579.9M and $1.23B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Does Louisiana outpace Colorado in FY2026?

Yes. FY2026 obligations are $1,232,995,601 in Louisiana versus $579,929,386 in Colorado. The stacked ranking still favors Colorado ($8.1B vs $4.7B). Per capita is $268.17 versus $97.34. Award counts are 72,577 and 91,723. Populations are 4,597,740 and 5,957,493.

What industries lead Colorado and Louisiana federal awards?

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Louisiana’s is ship building and repairing. Those slices sit on $8.1B and $4.7B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 91,723 in Colorado and 72,577 in Louisiana.

Are Colorado vs Louisiana figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.1B and $4.7B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $579.9M and $1.23B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.