Maryland vs Pennsylvania
Federal spending comparison
Maryland accounts for $30.1B in USAspending.gov obligations; Pennsylvania accounts for $28.1B. That is a close dollar race on uneven row volume: Pennsylvania logs 1,468,918 awards, Maryland 229,316. Populations are 6,263,220 and 13,078,751. Spending per capita favors Maryland, $315.60 versus $239.68. Maryland’s top industry is other computer related services; Pennsylvania’s is medicinal and botanical manufacturing. FY2026 obligations flip the stacked ranking: $2.0B in Maryland and $3.1B in Pennsylvania. Maryland’s 229,316 awards versus Pennsylvania’s 1,468,918 awards are the row gap hiding under a $30.1B versus $28.1B dollar race. Award counts remain 229,316 in Maryland and 1,468,918 in Pennsylvania.
Key figures
- Maryland $30.1B vs Pennsylvania $28.1B in USAspending obligations.
- Per capita $315.60 vs $239.68 on 6,263,220 vs 13,078,751 residents.
- Awards: 229,316 vs 1,468,918; FY2026 $2.0B vs $3.1B.
- Top industries: other computer related services (MD) vs medicinal and botanical manufacturing (PA).
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
A $30.1B vs $28.1B photo finish
Maryland at $30.1B and Pennsylvania at $28.1B are both large statewide files. The interesting question is which ranking disagrees. Award counts are 229,316 versus 1,468,918. Populations are 6,263,220 versus 13,078,751. Per capita is $315.60 versus $239.68. 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.
Pennsylvania’s 1,468,918 awards on $28.1B make Maryland’s 229,316 awards on $30.1B look sparse and heavy. A close or mid-range dollar gap can hide a wide row gap or a wide intensity gap. This pair is built for that kind of split, not for a blowout stock ranking.
Computer services vs medicinal manufacturing
Maryland’s top industry is other computer related services. Pennsylvania’s top industry is medicinal and botanical manufacturing. Two large files can still wear different NAICS peaks. Other computer related services versus medicinal and botanical manufacturing is a services-versus-manufacturing split on two files that are almost tied in stacked dollars. FY2026’s $3.1B Pennsylvania lead is the recency disagreement.
Industry tags on $30.1B and $28.1B are peaks inside mixed statewide aggregates. They do not license a one-industry story for 229,316 or 1,468,918 awards. Use the comparison hub for the side-by-side tables, then the Maryland and Pennsylvania state hubs for agencies and recipients.
Full analysis: Maryland vs Pennsylvania on USAspending: $30.1B vs $28.1B →
Questions
- Which has more federal spending, Maryland or Pennsylvania?
- Maryland shows $30.1B in USAspending.gov obligations; Pennsylvania shows $28.1B. Award counts are 229,316 and 1,468,918. Populations are 6,263,220 and 13,078,751. Spending per capita is $315.60 versus $239.68. FY2026 obligations are $2.0B and $3.1B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
- What industries lead Maryland and Pennsylvania federal awards?
- Maryland’s top industry is other computer related services. Pennsylvania’s top industry is medicinal and botanical manufacturing. Those slices sit on $30.1B and $28.1B in USAspending.gov obligations and on 229,316 versus 1,468,918 awards. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award.
- How do Maryland and Pennsylvania compare on spending per capita?
- Spending per capita is $315.60 in Maryland on 6,263,220 residents and $239.68 in Pennsylvania on 13,078,751 residents. Those ratios use stacked USAspending.gov obligations of $30.1B and $28.1B, not FY2026 alone and not GDP. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
- Are Maryland vs Pennsylvania figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $30.1B and $28.1B stacked totals, and FY2026 amounts of $2.0B and $3.1B, are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Award counts are 229,316 and 1,468,918. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.
| Maryland | Metric | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| $32.61B | Total Spending | $123.59B |
| $5K | Per Capita | $9K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 6.3M | Population | 13.1M |
| N/A | Median Income | N/A |
| N/A | Poverty Rate | N/A |
| N/A | Bachelor Degree % | N/A |
| N/A | Median Age | N/A |
| N/A | Unemployment | N/A |
| N/A | GDP (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 — Pennsylvania
- Department of Health and Human Services$489.40B
- Social Security Administration$184.58B
- Department of Defense$124.00B
- Department of Agriculture$22.57B
- Department of Veterans Affairs$17.67B
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 — Pennsylvania
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$29.49B
- POWER BOILER AND HEAT EXCHANGER MANUFACTURING$17.61B
- AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING$17.42B
- MILITARY ARMORED VEHICLE, TANK, AND TANK COMPONENT MANUFACTURING$11.80B
- MEDICINAL AND BOTANICAL MANUFACTURING$11.30B
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · Maryland · Pennsylvania