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Mississippi vs Tennessee

Federal spending comparison

Tennessee’s USAspending.gov obligation stock is $3.58B; Mississippi’s is $2.88B. Tennessee has more than twice the people—7,227,750 versus 2,943,045—while Mississippi posts the higher spending per capita, $115.31 versus $97.50, and a much larger award file: 233,003 actions against 63,616. FY2026 obligations are $339.4M in Mississippi and $704.7M in Tennessee. Ship building and repairing leads Mississippi; couriers and express delivery services lead Tennessee. The figures are obligations, not outlays.

Key figures

  • Tennessee $3.58B vs Mississippi $2.88B in stacked USAspending obligations.
  • Mississippi per capita $115.31 vs Tennessee $97.50 on 2,943,045 vs 7,227,750 residents.
  • Awards: 233,003 vs 63,616; FY2026 $339.4M vs $704.7M.
  • Top industries: ship building in Mississippi; couriers in Tennessee.
  • Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Tennessee’s dollars, Mississippi’s award file

Tennessee’s $3.58B is the larger stacked total. Mississippi’s $2.88B sits on 2,943,045 residents against Tennessee’s 7,227,750. That Census gap is why Mississippi’s $115.31 per capita can exceed Tennessee’s $97.50 even though Tennessee leads the stock.

Award volume is the Mississippi story. 233,003 awards versus 63,616 is a row gap that does not match the dollar ranking. Mississippi’s file is dense in actions on $2.88B. Tennessee’s 63,616 actions sit on $3.58B.

FY2026 favors Tennessee on recency: $704.7M versus $339.4M. Cite USAspending.gov for both the stacked stocks and the latest-year amounts. Outlays are not in the packet.

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents and $3.58B stock set the large-state side of this pair. Mississippi’s 2,943,045 residents, $2.88B stock, and 233,003 awards set the dense-file side. Both dollar cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

FY2026 of $704.7M versus $339.4M belongs to Tennessee on recency. Spending per capita of $97.50 versus $115.31 belongs to Mississippi on intensity. Read those as separate questions. Outlays are not in the packet.

Ship building versus couriers

Mississippi’s lead NAICS is ship building and repairing. Tennessee’s lead NAICS is couriers and express delivery services. Those peaks sit on $2.88B and $3.58B. A shipyard peak is a first read on Mississippi’s mix; a courier peak is a first read on Tennessee’s mix.

The 233,003 Mississippi awards and 63,616 Tennessee awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the Mississippi and Tennessee state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes.

Full analysis: Mississippi vs Tennessee on USAspending: $2.88B vs $3.58B

Questions

Does Mississippi or Tennessee have more federal spending?
Tennessee leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.58B to Mississippi’s $2.88B. Mississippi leads spending per capita, $115.31 versus $97.50, and awards, 233,003 versus 63,616. Tennessee has more residents (7,227,750 vs 2,943,045). FY2026 obligations are $339.4M in Mississippi and $704.7M in Tennessee.
Why does Mississippi have more awards than Tennessee?
The packet reports 233,003 awards in Mississippi and 63,616 in Tennessee. Mississippi’s stacked stock is smaller ($2.88B vs $3.58B). Spending per capita is $115.31 versus $97.50. Award count is a row total, not average size. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
What industries lead in Mississippi and Tennessee?
Mississippi’s top industry is ship building and repairing. Tennessee’s is couriers and express delivery services. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $2.88B and $3.58B. Award counts are 233,003 in Mississippi and 63,616 in Tennessee.
Are Mississippi vs Tennessee figures Treasury outlays?
No. The $2.88B and $3.58B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $339.4M and $704.7M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($115.31 vs $97.50) uses Census population where present.

State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.

Side-by-side federal spending and demographic comparison between Mississippi and Tennessee.
MississippiMetricTennessee
$16.95BTotal Spending$60.20B
$6KPer Capita$8K
N/A% of GDPN/A
2.9MPopulation7.2M
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 — Mississippi

  • Department of Defense$53.89B
  • Social Security Administration$39.36B
  • Department of Health and Human Services$31.77B
  • Department of Agriculture$7.56B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$6.46B

Top Agencies — Tennessee

  • Department of Health and Human Services$168.43B
  • Department of Energy$104.65B
  • Social Security Administration$92.64B
  • Department of Veterans Affairs$16.28B
  • Department of Defense$14.80B

Top Industries — Mississippi

  • SHIP BUILDING AND REPAIRING$46.59B
  • OTHER SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR AIR TRANSPORTATION$4.23B
  • FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES$2.69B
  • COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN SERVICES$952.6M
  • COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$787.7M

Top Industries — Tennessee

  • FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES$94.81B
  • REMEDIATION SERVICES$6.43B
  • ENGINEERING SERVICES$4.25B
  • ALL OTHER PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNICAL SERVICES$3.31B
  • DIRECT HEALTH AND MEDICAL INSURANCE CARRIERS$1.54B