Idaho vs Montana

The same construction peak, twice the Montana intensity

A shared lead NAICS usually invites a copy-paste comparison. This pair refuses it. Commercial and institutional building construction leads both Idaho’s $1.2B file and Montana’s $1.2B file, yet Montana’s $187.18 per capita more than doubles Idaho’s $80.33. Same mix label, different ratio. Cite USAspending.gov.

Population does the intensity work. Idaho’s 2,001,619 residents versus Montana’s 1,137,233 means a matched stacked stock is hotter in the smaller Census count. Idaho’s extra people do not produce an extra stacked dollar lead. They produce a cooler $80.33 reading next to Montana’s $187.18.

Award volume still favors Idaho, 29,667 versus 21,487. The busier construction-led log is the larger-population state. Row count is not average award size. The packet does not report means from 29,667 or 21,487. Do not divide $1.2B by those row totals.

FY2026: $160.8M in Idaho, $212.9M in Montana

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $160.8M in Idaho and $212.9M in Montana. Recency follows Montana’s hotter ratio rather than Idaho’s thicker award log. Treat the year as a recency slice of obligations, not as Treasury cash already paid.

Do not divide $160.8M or $212.9M by 29,667 or 21,487 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $80.33 and $187.18 already sits beside Census counts of 2,001,619 and 1,137,233. Cite USAspending.gov for both the stacked stocks and the latest-year amounts.

Questions

Does Idaho or Montana have more federal spending?

Stacked USAspending.gov obligations are matched at $1.2B in Idaho and $1.2B in Montana. Montana leads spending per capita ($187.18 vs $80.33) and FY2026 obligations ($212.9M vs $160.8M). Idaho has more people (2,001,619 vs 1,137,233) and more awards (29,667 vs 21,487).

Do Idaho and Montana share a lead industry?

Yes. Commercial and institutional building construction is the top NAICS label in both states. Those peaks sit on matched $1.2B stocks. Intensity still differs: $80.33 per capita in Idaho on 2,001,619 residents versus $187.18 in Montana on 1,137,233. Award counts are 29,667 versus 21,487.

Why is Montana’s per-capita figure so much higher?

The packet reports $187.18 per capita in Montana on 1,137,233 residents and $80.33 in Idaho on 2,001,619. Stacked stocks are matched at $1.2B versus $1.2B. A smaller Census count on a matched stock produces the hotter ratio. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

Are Idaho vs Montana figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $1.2B and $1.2B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $160.8M and $212.9M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag behind commitments. Spending per capita ($80.33 vs $187.18) uses Census population where present. This packet does not publish outlays.