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Delaware vs Rhode Island

Federal spending comparison

Rhode Island’s stacked USAspending.gov obligation stock is $880.6M; Delaware’s is $478.5M. The two Census files are close—1,112,308 in Rhode Island and 1,051,917 in Delaware—yet spending per capita is $71.48 versus $37.43. Award volume favors Delaware, 16,329 against 11,923. FY2026 follows the dollar ranking, $79.5M versus $39.4M. The figures are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Key figures

  • Rhode Island $880.6M vs Delaware $478.5M in stacked USAspending obligations.
  • Per capita $71.48 vs $37.43 on 1,112,308 vs 1,051,917 residents.
  • Awards 16,329 in Delaware vs 11,923 in Rhode Island; FY2026 $39.4M vs $79.5M.
  • Top industries: armored vehicle manufacturing in Delaware; nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing in Rhode Island.
  • Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Nearly matched populations, unmatched $880.6M and $478.5M stocks

Rhode Island’s 1,112,308 residents and Delaware’s 1,051,917 residents are among the closer Census pairs in this slice. The obligation stocks are not close. Rhode Island’s $880.6M is well above Delaware’s $478.5M. Intensity follows the dollar gap, not the population near-tie: $71.48 per capita versus $37.43. Cite those packet ratios beside the Census counts rather than treating them as a restatement of the headline stocks.

Award volume leans Delaware, 16,329 versus 11,923. That ranking inverts the dollar ranking. Row count is not average award size. Do not divide $880.6M by 11,923 or $478.5M by 16,329. Cite USAspending.gov for both the dollar file and the award file.

Armored vehicles versus nonchocolate confectionery

Delaware’s lead NAICS is military armored vehicle, tank, and tank component manufacturing. Rhode Island’s is nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing. A tank-component peak is a defense-manufacturing first read on Delaware’s $478.5M mix. A confectionery peak is a food-manufacturing first read on Rhode Island’s $880.6M mix. Vehicles and candy are not the same label.

The 16,329 Delaware awards and 11,923 Rhode Island awards include many actions outside those two industries. Use the Delaware and Rhode Island state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not in the packet.

Full analysis: Delaware vs Rhode Island on USAspending: $478.5M vs $880.6M

Questions

Does Delaware or Rhode Island have more federal spending?
Rhode Island leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $880.6M to Delaware’s $478.5M, spending per capita $71.48 to $37.43, and FY2026 obligations $79.5M to $39.4M. Delaware leads award volume 16,329 to 11,923. Population is close: 1,051,917 in Delaware and 1,112,308 in Rhode Island.
What industries lead in Delaware and Rhode Island?
Delaware’s top industry is military armored vehicle, tank, and tank component manufacturing. Rhode Island’s is nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $478.5M and $880.6M. Award counts are 16,329 in Delaware and 11,923 in Rhode Island.
Are Delaware and Rhode Island similar on a per-capita basis because populations are close?
No. The packet reports $37.43 per capita in Delaware on 1,051,917 residents and $71.48 in Rhode Island on 1,112,308. Stacked stocks are $478.5M versus $880.6M. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Close Census counts do not produce close intensity here.
Are Delaware vs Rhode Island figures Treasury outlays?
No. The $478.5M and $880.6M totals, and FY2026 amounts of $39.4M and $79.5M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($37.43 vs $71.48) uses Census population where present. This packet does not publish outlays or average award size.

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

Side-by-side federal spending and demographic comparison between Delaware and Rhode Island.
DelawareMetricRhode Island
$6.21BTotal Spending$7.18B
$6KPer Capita$6K
N/A% of GDPN/A
1.1MPopulation1.1M
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 — Delaware

  • Department of Health and Human Services$16.59B
  • Social Security Administration$16.29B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$1.77B
  • Department of Agriculture$1.68B
  • Department of Transportation$1.51B

Top Agencies — Rhode Island

  • Department of Health and Human Services$19.76B
  • Social Security Administration$14.98B
  • Department of Defense$5.43B
  • General Services Administration$1.84B
  • Department of Transportation$1.77B

Top Industries — Delaware

  • COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$258.5M
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$107.2M
  • OTHER TECHNICAL AND TRADE SCHOOLS$72.6M
  • HIGHWAY, STREET, AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION$66.1M
  • OTHER HEAVY AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION$66.0M

Top Industries — Rhode Island

  • ENGINEERING SERVICES$2.42B
  • SEARCH, DETECTION, NAVIGATION, GUIDANCE, AERONAUTICAL, AND NAUTICAL SYSTEM AND INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING$959.9M
  • COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$326.5M
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$319.6M
  • AMMUNITION (EXCEPT SMALL ARMS) MANUFACTURING$234.7M