South Carolina vs Utah
Federal spending comparison
Utah accounts for $4.06B in USAspending.gov obligations; South Carolina accounts for $3.85B. The stacked stocks are close. Award counts are not: 129,440 in South Carolina against 26,509 in Utah. Census counts are 5,478,831 and 3,503,613. Spending per capita favors Utah, $199.06 versus $83.98. FY2026 dollars also favor Utah, $697.4M versus $460.1M. South Carolina’s top industry is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing; Utah’s is nonferrous metal rolling, drawing, and extruding. The figures are obligations, not outlays.
Key figures
- Utah $4.06B vs South Carolina $3.85B in stacked USAspending obligations.
- Utah per capita $199.06 vs South Carolina $83.98 on 3,503,613 vs 5,478,831 residents.
- Awards: 129,440 vs 26,509; FY2026 $460.1M vs $697.4M.
- Top industries: biological products in South Carolina; nonferrous metal rolling in Utah.
- Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.
Utah’s slight stock lead on a much thinner award file
Utah’s $4.06B is about 1.05 times South Carolina’s $3.85B. Population runs the other way: South Carolina’s 5,478,831 versus Utah’s 3,503,613, about 1.56 times. People outrun dollars, which is the setup for Utah’s higher per-capita reading of $199.06 against South Carolina’s $83.98. Cite those ratios as packet figures beside the Census counts.
Award counts belong to South Carolina by a landslide. 129,440 versus 26,509 is about 4.9 times as many rows on a slightly smaller dollar stock. The Carolina file is busy. Utah’s 26,509 actions on $4.06B are sparse and still sit beside the hotter per-capita figure.
FY2026 follows Utah on dollars, $697.4M versus $460.1M, so stock, intensity, and recency all lean the same way even while South Carolina wins the row count.
Biological products versus nonferrous metal work
South Carolina’s lead NAICS is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing. Utah’s lead NAICS is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. Those peaks sit on $3.85B and $4.06B. A biologics lead is a first filter on the Carolina mix; a metal-rolling lead is a first filter on the Utah mix.
The 129,440 South Carolina awards and 26,509 Utah awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the South Carolina and Utah state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes.
Full analysis: South Carolina vs Utah on USAspending: $3.85B vs $4.06B →
Questions
- Does South Carolina or Utah have more federal spending?
- Utah leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $4.06B to South Carolina’s $3.85B. Utah also leads spending per capita, $199.06 versus $83.98, on 3,503,613 residents against South Carolina’s 5,478,831. South Carolina has far more awards (129,440 vs 26,509). FY2026 obligations are $460.1M in South Carolina and $697.4M in Utah.
- Why is Utah’s per-capita federal spending higher?
- The packet reports $199.06 per capita in Utah on 3,503,613 residents and $83.98 in South Carolina on 5,478,831. Stacked stocks are close ($4.06B vs $3.85B). South Carolina has more awards (129,440 vs 26,509). These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
- What industries lead in South Carolina and Utah?
- South Carolina’s top industry is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing. Utah’s is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $3.85B and $4.06B. Award counts are 129,440 in South Carolina and 26,509 in Utah.
- Are South Carolina vs Utah figures Treasury outlays?
- No. The $3.85B and $4.06B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $460.1M and $697.4M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($83.98 vs $199.06) uses Census population where present.
State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.
| South Carolina | Metric | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| $61.05B | Total Spending | $12.31B |
| $11K | Per Capita | $4K |
| N/A | % of GDP | N/A |
| 5.5M | Population | 3.5M |
| 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 — South Carolina
- Department of Health and Human Services$236.02B
- Social Security Administration$78.83B
- Department of Energy$40.24B
- Department of Defense$16.77B
- Department of Veterans Affairs$15.08B
Top Agencies — Utah
- Department of Defense$33.86B
- Social Security Administration$29.09B
- Department of Health and Human Services$25.69B
- Department of Education$5.77B
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration$4.55B
Top Industries — South Carolina
- FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES$25.97B
- HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL$6.63B
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$6.47B
- REMEDIATION SERVICES$3.68B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY (EXCEPT NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY)$3.59B
Top Industries — Utah
- ENGINEERING SERVICES$12.40B
- GUIDED MISSILE AND SPACE VEHICLE MANUFACTURING$11.72B
- GUIDED MISSILE AND SPACE VEHICLE PROPULSION UNIT AND PROPULSION UNIT PARTS MANUFACTURING$4.45B
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$1.39B
- COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION$1.37B
Source: USAspending.gov · More Comparisons · South Carolina · Utah