North Dakota vs West Virginia
Federal spending comparison
West Virginia’s stacked USAspending.gov obligation stock is $1.7B; North Dakota’s is $700.4M. Spending per capita follows the heavier stock, $113.44 versus $63.75, on 1,769,979 residents against 796,568. Award counts are 7,218 in North Dakota and 14,302 in West Virginia. FY2026 obligations are $50.8M versus $200.8M. Commercial and institutional building construction leads North Dakota; ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing leads West Virginia. The figures are obligations, not outlays.
Key figures
- North Dakota $700.4M vs West Virginia $1.7B in stacked USAspending obligations.
- Per capita $63.75 vs $113.44 on 796,568 vs 1,769,979 residents.
- Awards 7,218 vs 14,302; FY2026 $50.8M vs $200.8M.
- Top industries: commercial and institutional building construction in North Dakota; ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing in West Virginia.
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
A thin Plains construction log against an ammunition stock
North Dakota’s 7,218 awards on $700.4M are a thin construction-led log. West Virginia’s 14,302 awards on $1.7B are a heavier ammunition-led stock. Neither file is empty. They are not close. Cite USAspending.gov. Row count is not average award size.
Population of 796,568 versus 1,769,979 is a real Census gap. Intensity still favors West Virginia, $113.44 versus $63.75. North Dakota’s smaller count does not produce a hotter ratio here. The $63.75 reading is the cooler one.
FY2026 of $50.8M versus $200.8M follows West Virginia. Recency does not rescue the thinner North Dakota log. Treat both amounts as obligation slices, not Treasury cash.
Building construction versus ammunition manufacturing
North Dakota’s lead industry is commercial and institutional building construction. West Virginia’s is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. A construction peak on $700.4M and an ammunition peak on $1.7B are different mixes. Construction is a first read on North Dakota. Ammunition manufacturing is a first read on West Virginia.
The 7,218 North Dakota awards and 14,302 West Virginia awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the North Dakota and West Virginia state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not listed.
Full analysis: North Dakota vs West Virginia on USAspending: $700.4M vs $1.7B →
Questions
- Does North Dakota or West Virginia have more federal spending?
- Stacked USAspending.gov obligations are $700.4M in North Dakota and $1.7B in West Virginia. Spending per capita is $63.75 versus $113.44 on 796,568 and 1,769,979 residents. Award counts are 7,218 versus 14,302. FY2026 obligations are $50.8M in North Dakota and $200.8M in West Virginia. Both dollar series are obligations, not outlays.
- What industries lead in North Dakota and West Virginia?
- North Dakota's top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. West Virginia's is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $700.4M and $1.7B. Award counts are 7,218 in North Dakota and 14,302 in West Virginia. The rest of each mix sits outside those peaks on USAspending.gov obligation files.
- How do North Dakota and West Virginia compare on a per-capita basis?
- The packet reports $63.75 per capita in North Dakota on 796,568 residents and $113.44 in West Virginia on 1,769,979 residents. Stacked stocks are $700.4M versus $1.7B. Award counts are 7,218 versus 14,302. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. FY2026 amounts are $50.8M versus $200.8M.
- Are North Dakota vs West Virginia figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $700.4M and $1.7B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $50.8M and $200.8M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag behind commitments. Spending per capita ($63.75 vs $113.44) uses Census population where present. This packet does not publish outlays.
State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.
| North Dakota | Metric | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| $42.60B | Total Spending | $13.00B |
| $53K | Per Capita | $7K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 797K | Population | 1.8M |
| 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 — North Dakota
- Department of Health and Human Services$233.80B
- Social Security Administration$8.60B
- Department of Agriculture$4.39B
- Department of Defense$2.25B
- Department of Transportation$2.07B
Top Agencies — West Virginia
- Social Security Administration$27.50B
- Department of Health and Human Services$27.44B
- Department of Veterans Affairs$4.99B
- Department of Transportation$4.14B
- Department of Agriculture$3.60B
Top Industries — North Dakota
- DIRECT HEALTH AND MEDICAL INSURANCE CARRIERS$2.16B
- COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$796.4M
- OTHER HEAVY AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION$622.4M
- ALL OTHER PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNICAL SERVICES$408.7M
- HIGHWAY, STREET, AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION$150.0M
Top Industries — West Virginia
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$1.16B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$1.12B
- COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN SERVICES$1.00B
- COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$649.9M
- FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES$626.7M
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · North Dakota · West Virginia