Arkansas vs Nebraska on USAspending: $1.7B vs $1.2B

Stacked ranking versus a FY2026 reversal

Readers who stop at the all-years totals will call Arkansas the larger file: $1.7B versus $1.2B. Fiscal year 2026 does not agree. Nebraska’s $352.3M latest-year obligations exceed Arkansas’s $262.7M. That recency cut is still an obligation slice from USAspending.gov, not cash paid by Treasury. It does mean the stacked ranking and the current-year ranking tell different stories.

Population sits in the middle. Arkansas’s 3,088,354 residents outnumber Nebraska’s 2,005,465, which helps explain the larger Arkansas stock. Intensity does not follow headcount. Nebraska’s $175.68 per capita is more than double Arkansas’s $85.06. Cite USAspending.gov for the stocks, the FY2026 amounts, and the Census-based ratios.

Poultry processing versus other computer related services

Arkansas’s lead industry is poultry processing. Nebraska’s is other computer related services. A food-processing peak on $1.7B and a computer-services peak on $1.2B are different mixes, not interchangeable labels with the state names swapped. Poultry processing is a first read on Arkansas’s obligation file. Other computer related services are a first read on Nebraska’s.

Arkansas’s 79,590 awards and Nebraska’s 36,000 awards include many actions outside those NAICS peaks. Use the Arkansas and Nebraska state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not in the packet.

Arkansas’s poultry-processing peak on $1.7B is a different first read from Nebraska’s other computer related services peak on $1.2B. The FY2026 reversal ($352.3M in Nebraska vs $262.7M in Arkansas) sits on that services mix, not on Arkansas’s thicker 79,590-award log. Population of 3,088,354 versus 2,005,465 still favors Arkansas on headcount. Intensity of $175.68 versus $85.06 favors Nebraska. Cite USAspending.gov for every dollar cut.

Award volume on a cooler Arkansas ratio

Arkansas files 79,590 awards on $1.7B. Nebraska files 36,000 on $1.2B. The larger state has the thicker action log and the cooler $85.06 per-capita reading. Nebraska’s thinner log sits next to $175.68 per capita and the $352.3M FY2026 lead. Row count is not average award size. The packet does not report means.

Do not divide $352.3M or $262.7M by 36,000 or 79,590 all-years awards. Those denominators mix prior years. Spending per capita of $175.68 and $85.06 already uses Census counts of 2,005,465 and 3,088,354.

Nebraska’s 36,000 awards are not a small file; they are smaller than Arkansas’s 79,590 and larger than many states in this slice. They sit beside the $175.68 per-capita reading and the $352.3M latest-year lead. Arkansas’s cooler $85.06 ratio on 3,088,354 residents is the scale-and-volume story. Keep $1.7B and $1.2B labeled as stacked USAspending.gov obligations, not as FY2026 cash and not as outlays.

What recency changes in this pair

FY2026 is the cut that prevents a simple Arkansas-larger summary. Nebraska’s $352.3M versus Arkansas’s $262.7M is a recency lead on a smaller $1.2B stacked stock. Other computer related services as Nebraska’s peak is consistent with a file that can post a strong latest-year slice without matching Arkansas’s 79,590-row volume.

Arkansas’s $1.7B stock, poultry-processing peak, and $85.06 per capita remain the all-years story. Read both years. Cite USAspending.gov. Keep every dollar figure labeled as an obligation.

How to read Arkansas versus Nebraska

Read Arkansas first on stacked dollars ($1.7B vs $1.2B), population (3,088,354 vs 2,005,465), and awards (79,590 vs 36,000). Read Nebraska first on spending per capita ($175.68 vs $85.06) and FY2026 ($352.3M vs $262.7M). Note poultry processing versus other computer related services.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Arkansas and Nebraska hubs hold agencies and recipients. Outlays are a different series. Keep $85.06 and $175.68 labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations.

Obligations versus cash, and what the tables still hold

An obligation is a commitment in USAspending.gov. An outlay is cash paid later. Nebraska’s $352.3M FY2026 lead and Arkansas’s $1.7B stacked lead are both obligation cuts. They can disagree because they cover different time windows. This packet does not publish outlays, average award size, or agency shares.

Poultry processing on 79,590 Arkansas awards and other computer related services on 36,000 Nebraska awards remain mix labels. Population of 3,088,354 versus 2,005,465 belongs with the $85.06 and $175.68 ratios. Cite USAspending.gov. Use the comparison hub for the tables and the state hubs for recipients.

Nebraska’s $352.3M FY2026 lead on a $1.2B stock is the cut that prevents a simple Arkansas-larger summary. Cite USAspending.gov. Keep poultry processing and other computer related services labeled as mix peaks on 79,590 and 36,000 awards.

Questions

Does Arkansas or Nebraska have more federal spending?

Arkansas leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $1.7B to Nebraska’s $1.2B. Nebraska leads FY2026 obligations, $352.3M versus $262.7M, and spending per capita, $175.68 versus $85.06. Arkansas has more people (3,088,354 vs 2,005,465) and more awards (79,590 vs 36,000). Both dollar series are obligations, not outlays.

Why does Nebraska lead FY2026 if Arkansas has the larger stock?

Stacked stocks mix years; FY2026 is a recency slice. Nebraska’s latest-year obligations are $352.3M against Arkansas’s $262.7M. The all-years totals remain $1.2B versus $1.7B. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Recency does not erase the stacked ranking or convert either amount into Treasury cash.

What industries lead in Arkansas and Nebraska?

Arkansas’s top industry is poultry processing. Nebraska’s is other computer related services. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $1.7B and $1.2B. Award counts are 79,590 in Arkansas and 36,000 in Nebraska. The rest of each mix sits outside those peaks.

Are Arkansas vs Nebraska figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $1.7B and $1.2B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $262.7M and $352.3M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag behind commitments. Spending per capita ($85.06 vs $175.68) uses Census population where present. This packet does not publish outlays.