Massachusetts vs District of Columbia

The District’s $19.9B versus Massachusetts’s $13.5B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. The District’s $19.9B is about 1.5 times Massachusetts’s $13.5B. Place of performance in the award file is not a population contest. A 702,250-person capital can outrun a 7,136,171-person New England state in this aggregate because headquarters contracting stacks dollars in the District.

Award counts favor Massachusetts. Massachusetts has 294,824 awards; the District has 95,844. Massachusetts’s file is busier in rows and lighter in dollars. The District’s file is heavier in dollars on fewer actions — a higher typical booking. The $19.9B versus $13.5B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

Capital intensity versus a $364.70 New England reading

Massachusetts’s 7,136,171 residents dwarf the District’s 702,250. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, the District shows $3,166.95 per capita and Massachusetts shows $364.70. Massachusetts is already intensive relative to many large states; the District is in another band because 702,250 residents sit under $19.9B.

A $364.70 per-person reading in Massachusetts on 7,136,171 residents is an intensity fact attached to a $13.5B stock. The District’s $3,166.95 is not a claim that every resident received that amount. This table scores USAspending awards, not GDP and not a household transfer.

Questions

Which has more federal spending, Massachusetts or the District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $19.9B versus Massachusetts’s $13.5B. Massachusetts has more awards (294,824 vs 95,844) and more people (7,136,171 vs 702,250). Spending per capita is $364.70 in Massachusetts and $3,166.95 in the District. FY2026 obligations are $2.6B in Massachusetts and $2.2B in the District. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Does Massachusetts have a larger FY2026 total than D.C.?

Yes. FY2026 obligations are $2.6B in Massachusetts and $2.2B in the District, reversing the stacked $13.5B versus $19.9B ranking. Massachusetts also logs more awards (294,824 vs 95,844). The District still leads per capita ($3,166.95 vs $364.70) on 702,250 residents versus 7,136,171. Recency and stock are different cuts.

What industries lead Massachusetts and D.C. federal awards?

Massachusetts’s top industry is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. The District’s is administrative management and general management consulting services. Those slices sit on $13.5B and $19.9B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award. Award counts are 294,824 in Massachusetts and 95,844 in the District.

Are Massachusetts vs D.C. figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $13.5B and $19.9B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $2.6B and $2.2B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.