Rhode Island vs Vermont
Federal spending comparison
Vermont’s stacked USAspending.gov obligation stock is $1.0B; Rhode Island’s is $880.6M. Spending per capita is nearly even: $72.92 in Vermont and $71.48 in Rhode Island. Award counts are nearly even too: 12,020 versus 11,923. Census population is not even: 648,493 versus 1,112,308. FY2026 obligations are $47.3M versus $79.5M. Nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing leads Rhode Island; other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing leads Vermont. The figures are obligations, not outlays.
Key figures
- Rhode Island $880.6M vs Vermont $1.0B in stacked USAspending obligations.
- Per capita $71.48 vs $72.92 on 1,112,308 vs 648,493 residents.
- Awards 11,923 vs 12,020; FY2026 $79.5M vs $47.3M.
- Top industries: nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing in Rhode Island; other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing in Vermont.
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
New England neighbors with matched ratios and unmatched mix
Rhode Island and Vermont post $71.48 and $72.92 per capita and 11,923 and 12,020 awards. Those cuts look like twins. Mix does not. Confectionery leads Rhode Island’s $880.6M file. Missile-and-space-parts lead Vermont’s $1.0B file. Cite USAspending.gov.
Vermont’s smaller Census count (648,493 vs 1,112,308) on a slightly larger $1.0B stock is why the ratios can match while headcount does not. FY2026 of $79.5M versus $47.3M is the cut that favors Rhode Island on recency despite the smaller stacked stock.
Treat FY2026 as an obligation slice. Outlays are omitted. Row count is not average award size. Do not invent a mean from 11,923 or 12,020. Census counts belong with those ratios on USAspending.gov obligations.
Nonchocolate confectionery versus missile and space vehicle parts
Those NAICS peaks sit on $880.6M and $1.0B. They are first reads, not interchangeable New England rankings. Use the Rhode Island and Vermont state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not listed.
Near-matched award counts do not make confectionery and missile-parts the same mix. The rest of each file sits outside those peaks.
Full analysis: Rhode Island vs Vermont on USAspending: $880.6M vs $1.0B →
Questions
- Does Rhode Island or Vermont have more federal spending?
- Stacked USAspending.gov obligations are $880.6M in Rhode Island and $1.0B in Vermont. Spending per capita is $71.48 versus $72.92 on 1,112,308 and 648,493 residents. Award counts are 11,923 versus 12,020. FY2026 obligations are $79.5M in Rhode Island and $47.3M in Vermont. Both dollar series are obligations, not outlays.
- What industries lead in Rhode Island and Vermont?
- Rhode Island's top industry is nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing. Vermont's is other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $880.6M and $1.0B. Award counts are 11,923 in Rhode Island and 12,020 in Vermont. The rest of each mix sits outside those peaks on USAspending.gov obligation files.
- How do Rhode Island and Vermont compare on a per-capita basis?
- The packet reports $71.48 per capita in Rhode Island on 1,112,308 residents and $72.92 in Vermont on 648,493 residents. Stacked stocks are $880.6M versus $1.0B. Award counts are 11,923 versus 12,020. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. FY2026 amounts are $79.5M versus $47.3M.
- Are Rhode Island vs Vermont figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $880.6M and $1.0B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $79.5M and $47.3M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag behind commitments. Spending per capita ($71.48 vs $72.92) 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.
| Rhode Island | Metric | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| $7.18B | Total Spending | $4.36B |
| $6K | Per Capita | $7K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 1.1M | Population | 648K |
| 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 — Rhode Island
- Department of Health and Human Services$19.76B
- Social Security Administration$14.98B
- Department of Defense$5.43B
- General Services Administration$1.84B
- Department of Transportation$1.77B
Top Agencies — Vermont
- Social Security Administration$10.01B
- Department of Health and Human Services$8.85B
- Department of Defense$4.61B
- Department of Transportation$1.66B
- Department of Agriculture$1.40B
Top Industries — Rhode Island
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$2.42B
- SEARCH, DETECTION, NAVIGATION, GUIDANCE, AERONAUTICAL, AND NAUTICAL SYSTEM AND INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING$959.9M
- COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$326.5M
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$319.6M
- AMMUNITION (EXCEPT SMALL ARMS) MANUFACTURING$234.7M
Top Industries — Vermont
- AMMUNITION (EXCEPT SMALL ARMS) MANUFACTURING$1.18B
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$918.5M
- OTHER GUIDED MISSILE AND SPACE VEHICLE PARTS AND AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING$613.2M
- COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN SERVICES$277.9M
- OTHER COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES$277.3M
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · Rhode Island · Vermont