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Maryland vs District of Columbia

Federal spending comparison

Maryland shows $30.1B in USAspending.gov obligations; the District of Columbia shows $19.9B. These neighbors do not share intensity. The District’s spending per capita is $3,166.95 on 702,250 residents; Maryland’s is $315.60 on 6,263,220. Award counts are 229,316 in Maryland and 95,844 in the District. Both peaks sit in services: other computer related services in Maryland and administrative management and general management consulting services in the District. FY2026 obligations are $2.0B and $2.2B, a recency edge for the District.

Key figures

  • Maryland $30.1B vs District of Columbia $19.9B in USAspending obligations.
  • Per capita $315.60 vs $3166.95 on 6,263,220 vs 702,250 residents.
  • Awards: 229,316 vs 95,844; FY2026 $2.0B vs $2.2B.
  • Top industries: other computer related services (MD) vs administrative management and general management consulting services (DC).
  • Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Neighboring files, a tenfold per-capita gap

The District of Columbia’s spending per capita is $3166.95 against $315.60 in the paired state. A small Census count — 702,250 in the District versus 6,263,220 in the state — produces an intensity reading that no large-state file matches in this pair. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays. Cash payments can lag award dates. Headquarters can differ from the state coded on the award.

Stacked stock still matters. Maryland holds $30.1B; District of Columbia holds $19.9B. The District can trail or lead that stock while leading intensity. Place of performance in the capital is not a state economy in miniature. It is a dense award geography on a small population denominator.

Computer services vs management consulting

Award counts are 229,316 in Maryland and 95,844 in District of Columbia. The District’s row file is smaller. The paired state’s row file is larger. Neither count is an outlay. FY2026’s $2.2B in the District versus Maryland’s $2.0B is a rare recency lead for the smaller Census geography.

Other computer related services versus administrative management and general management consulting services is a services-versus-services split on two adjacent geographies. Intensity still belongs to the District’s 702,250-person denominator. Intensity uses Census population against stacked obligations. It is not personal income and it is not a city-versus-state verdict.

Full analysis: Maryland vs District of Columbia on USAspending: $30.1B vs $19.9B

Questions

Which has more federal spending, Maryland or District of Columbia?
Maryland shows $30.1B in USAspending.gov obligations; District of Columbia shows $19.9B. Award counts are 229,316 and 95,844. Populations are 6,263,220 and 702,250. Spending per capita is $315.60 versus $3166.95. FY2026 obligations are $2.0B and $2.2B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.
What industries lead Maryland and District of Columbia federal awards?
Maryland’s top industry is other computer related services. District of Columbia’s top industry is administrative management and general management consulting services. Those slices sit on $30.1B and $19.9B in USAspending.gov obligations and on 229,316 versus 95,844 awards. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award.
How do Maryland and District of Columbia compare on spending per capita?
Spending per capita is $315.60 in Maryland on 6,263,220 residents and $3166.95 in District of Columbia on 702,250 residents. Those ratios use stacked USAspending.gov obligations of $30.1B and $19.9B, not FY2026 alone and not GDP. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
Are Maryland vs District of Columbia figures Treasury outlays?
No. The $30.1B and $19.9B stacked totals, and FY2026 amounts of $2.0B and $2.2B, are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Award counts are 229,316 and 95,844. 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 Maryland and District of Columbia.
MarylandMetricDistrict of Columbia
$32.61BTotal Spending$18.02B
$5KPer Capita$26K
N/A% of GDPN/A
6.3MPopulation702K
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 — Maryland

  • Department of Health and Human Services$143.01B
  • Department of Defense$137.15B
  • Social Security Administration$75.40B
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration$24.26B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$20.55B

Top Agencies — District of Columbia

  • Department of Transportation$56.43B
  • Department of Defense$35.97B
  • Department of Health and Human Services$30.00B
  • Department of State$21.68B
  • Department of Homeland Security$18.82B

Top Industries — Maryland

  • ENGINEERING SERVICES$35.96B
  • COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN SERVICES$35.19B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$24.11B
  • OTHER COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES$20.25B
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY)$13.06B

Top Industries — District of Columbia

  • COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN SERVICES$29.48B
  • ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES$26.89B
  • ENGINEERING SERVICES$21.45B
  • OTHER COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES$16.10B
  • CUSTOM COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SERVICES$6.61B