Michigan vs New Jersey

Nearly matched stocks: $8.4B versus $8.1B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Michigan’s $8.4B edges New Jersey’s $8.1B by a thin margin. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Among two large states with similar Census counts, the stacked ranking is close enough that other cuts — rows, intensity, recency — do more work than the dollar lead.

Award counts run strongly toward New Jersey. New Jersey has 1,162,765 awards; Michigan has 416,538. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows on a dollar stock that is only modestly smaller. Michigan’s $8.4B on 416,538 actions implies a heavier typical booking than New Jersey’s $8.1B spread across 1,162,765 records.

Michigan’s $175.18 versus New Jersey’s $92.49

Michigan’s 10,140,459 residents and New Jersey’s 9,500,851 residents sit in the same band. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Michigan shows $175.18 per capita and New Jersey shows $92.49. Intensity favors Michigan by about 1.9 times even though the $8.4B versus $8.1B stocks are nearly matched.

A $175.18 per-person reading in Michigan on 10,140,459 residents is an intensity fact attached to $8.4B. New Jersey’s $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Two similar populations and two similar stocks can still hide a wide row-count gap.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Michigan or New Jersey?

Michigan leads slightly in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8.4B versus New Jersey’s $8.1B. New Jersey has far more awards (1,162,765 vs 416,538). Populations are 10,140,459 in Michigan and 9,500,851 in New Jersey. Spending per capita is $175.18 in Michigan and $92.49 in New Jersey. FY2026 obligations are $1.8B and $878.7M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does New Jersey have more federal awards than Michigan but fewer dollars?

New Jersey logs 1,162,765 awards on $8.1B. Michigan logs 416,538 awards on $8.4B. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows and lighter in dollars, which implies a smaller typical booking. Populations are close (9,500,851 vs 10,140,459). Per capita is $92.49 versus $175.18. FY2026 favors Michigan ($1.8B vs $878.7M).

What industries lead Michigan and New Jersey federal awards?

Michigan’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. New Jersey’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those slices sit on $8.4B and $8.1B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 416,538 in Michigan and 1,162,765 in New Jersey.

Are Michigan vs New Jersey figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.4B and $8.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.8B and $878.7M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.