Rhode Island vs West Virginia
Federal spending comparison
West Virginia’s stacked USAspending.gov obligation stock is $1.7B; Rhode Island’s is $880.6M. The lead industries could hardly sit farther apart: nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing in Rhode Island and ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing in West Virginia. Spending per capita follows the heavier stock, $113.44 versus $71.48, on 1,769,979 residents against 1,112,308. FY2026 obligations are $79.5M in Rhode Island and $200.8M in West Virginia. Award counts are 11,923 versus 14,302. The figures are obligations, not outlays.
Key figures
- West Virginia $1.7B vs Rhode Island $880.6M in stacked USAspending obligations.
- West Virginia per capita $113.44 vs Rhode Island $71.48 on 1,769,979 vs 1,112,308 residents.
- Awards 14,302 vs 11,923; FY2026 $200.8M vs $79.5M.
- Top industries: nonchocolate confectionery in Rhode Island; ammunition (except small arms) in West Virginia.
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
Confectionery dollars against an ammunition stock
Rhode Island’s $880.6M file is not a footnote next to West Virginia’s $1.7B, but it is the smaller stacked stock. The mix labels do the distinctive work. Nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing is a food-manufacturing first read on the Rhode Island side. Ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing is a defense-manufacturing first read on the West Virginia side. Those peaks sit on different obligation mixes from USAspending.gov.
Census population is 1,112,308 in Rhode Island and 1,769,979 in West Virginia. That gap is real and still smaller than some pairs in this slice. Intensity does not favor the smaller state: $71.48 per capita in Rhode Island versus $113.44 in West Virginia. Cite USAspending.gov. Keep both ratios labeled as Census-based packet figures.
Award logs that sit closer than the dollars
Rhode Island files 11,923 awards; West Virginia files 14,302. The row gap is modest next to $880.6M versus $1.7B. West Virginia’s heavier stock on a similar award count is consistent with a more concentrated file. Row count is not average award size. The packet does not report means from 11,923 or 14,302.
Use the Rhode Island and West Virginia state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both NAICS peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not listed. Do not treat confectionery and ammunition as interchangeable manufacturing rankings.
Full analysis: Rhode Island vs West Virginia on USAspending: $880.6M vs $1.7B →
Questions
- Does Rhode Island or West Virginia have more federal spending?
- West Virginia leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $1.7B to Rhode Island’s $880.6M. West Virginia also leads spending per capita ($113.44 vs $71.48) and FY2026 obligations ($200.8M vs $79.5M). Award counts are 11,923 in Rhode Island and 14,302 in West Virginia. Population is 1,112,308 versus 1,769,979.
- What industries lead in Rhode Island and West Virginia?
- Rhode Island’s top industry is nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing. West Virginia’s is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $880.6M and $1.7B. Award counts are 11,923 in Rhode Island and 14,302 in West Virginia. The rest of each mix sits outside those peaks.
- Why is Rhode Island’s per-capita figure lower despite a smaller population?
- The packet reports $71.48 per capita in Rhode Island on 1,112,308 residents and $113.44 in West Virginia on 1,769,979. Stacked stocks are $880.6M versus $1.7B. A smaller Census count does not automatically produce a hotter ratio. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
- Are Rhode Island vs West Virginia figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $880.6M and $1.7B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $79.5M and $200.8M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag behind commitments. Spending per capita ($71.48 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.
| Rhode Island | Metric | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| $7.18B | Total Spending | $13.00B |
| $6K | Per Capita | $7K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 1.1M | 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 · Rhode Island · West Virginia