Does Arkansas or West Virginia have more federal spending?

Arkansas leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $1.72B to West Virginia’s $1.66B. West Virginia leads spending per capita, $113.44 versus $85.06, on 1,769,979 residents against Arkansas’s 3,088,354. Arkansas has more awards (79,590 vs 14,302). FY2026 obligations are $262.7M in Arkansas and $200.8M in West Virginia.

Why is West Virginia’s per-capita figure higher than Arkansas’s?

The packet reports $113.44 per capita in West Virginia on 1,769,979 residents and $85.06 in Arkansas on 3,088,354. Stacked stocks are $1.66B versus $1.72B. Award counts are 14,302 versus 79,590. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in Arkansas and West Virginia?

Arkansas’s top industry is poultry processing. West Virginia’s is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $1.72B and $1.66B. Award counts are 79,590 in Arkansas and 14,302 in West Virginia.

Are Arkansas vs West Virginia figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $1.72B and $1.66B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $262.7M and $200.8M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($85.06 vs $113.44) uses Census population where present.

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Arkansas vs West Virginia on USAspending: $1.72B vs $1.66B

Arkansas and West Virginia sit close on stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $1.72B versus $1.66B. Arkansas has more people—3,088,354 versus 1,769,979—and far more awards: 79,590 against 14,302. West Virginia’s spending per capita is $113.44 versus Arkansas’s $85.06. FY2026 obligations are $262.7M in Arkansas and $200.8M in West Virginia. Poultry processing leads Arkansas; ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing leads West Virginia. The figures are obligations, not outlays.

Key figures

Arkansas $1.72B vs West Virginia $1.66B in stacked USAspending obligations.
West Virginia per capita $113.44 vs Arkansas $85.06 on 1,769,979 vs 3,088,354 residents.
Awards: 79,590 vs 14,302; FY2026 $262.7M vs $200.8M.
Top industries: poultry processing in Arkansas; ammunition (except small arms) in West Virginia.
Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

A $60 million stock gap, a fivefold award gap

Arkansas’s $1.72B and West Virginia’s $1.66B are close on the stacked ranking. Award volume is not: 79,590 versus 14,302. Arkansas’s file is dense in rows on a slightly larger stock. West Virginia’s 14,302 actions sit on $1.66B beside the $113.44 per-capita reading.

Census counts are 3,088,354 in Arkansas and 1,769,979 in West Virginia. Intensity still favors West Virginia, $113.44 versus $85.06. Arkansas’s extra people produce the larger stock and the cooler ratio.

FY2026 keeps Arkansas ahead on recency: $262.7M versus $200.8M. Cite USAspending.gov for the stacked stocks and the latest-year amounts.

Arkansas’s $1.72B versus West Virginia’s $1.66B is a close stock. Arkansas’s 79,590 awards versus 14,302 is not close. West Virginia’s $113.44 per capita on 1,769,979 residents still exceeds Arkansas’s $85.06 on 3,088,354. FY2026 of $262.7M versus $200.8M keeps Arkansas ahead on recency.

Poultry processing versus ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing is mix. Both peaks sit on USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are not listed. Cite USAspending.gov. Do not invent average award size from those row counts.

Poultry processing versus ammunition (except small arms)

Arkansas’s lead NAICS is poultry processing. West Virginia’s lead NAICS is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Those peaks sit on $1.72B and $1.66B. Poultry processing is a first read on Arkansas’s mix; ammunition manufacturing is a first read on West Virginia’s mix.

The 79,590 Arkansas awards and 14,302 West Virginia awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the Arkansas and West Virginia state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes.

FY2026: $262.7M versus $200.8M

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $262.7M in Arkansas and $200.8M in West Virginia. Recency preserves Arkansas’s stacked dollar lead. Treat the year as a recency slice of obligations, not as Treasury cash.

Do not divide $262.7M or $200.8M by 79,590 or 14,302 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $85.06 and $113.44 already sits beside Census counts of 3,088,354 and 1,769,979.

Poultry rows versus ammunition intensity

Arkansas’s $1.72B and West Virginia’s $1.66B are a close stacked ranking. Awards are not: 79,590 versus 14,302. West Virginia still posts $113.44 per capita on 1,769,979 residents against Arkansas’s $85.06 on 3,088,354. All dollar cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

Poultry processing leads Arkansas. Ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing leads West Virginia. FY2026 of $262.7M versus $200.8M keeps Arkansas ahead on recency.

An obligation is a commitment. Outlays can lag. Do not invent average award size from 79,590 or 14,302. Cite USAspending.gov.

A $60 million stock gap with a fivefold row gap

Readers who stop at $1.72B versus $1.66B will miss 79,590 versus 14,302 awards and $85.06 versus $113.44 per capita. Read the packet’s cuts together.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Arkansas and West Virginia hubs hold agencies and recipients. Keep FY2026 of $262.7M and $200.8M labeled as a recency slice of obligations, not cash.

How to read Arkansas versus West Virginia

Read Arkansas first on stacked dollars ($1.72B vs $1.66B), population (3,088,354 vs 1,769,979), awards (79,590 vs 14,302), and FY2026 ($262.7M vs $200.8M). Read West Virginia first on spending per capita ($113.44 vs $85.06). Note poultry processing versus ammunition (except small arms).

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Arkansas and West Virginia hubs hold agencies and recipients. Outlays are a different series. Keep per-capita figures labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations.

Arkansas’s 79,590 awards and $262.7M FY2026 slice sit against West Virginia’s $113.44 per capita on a $1.66B stock. The stacked ranking of $1.72B versus $1.66B stays close. Cite USAspending.gov. Outlays are not in the packet.

Questions

Does Arkansas or West Virginia have more federal spending?: Arkansas leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $1.72B to West Virginia’s $1.66B. West Virginia leads spending per capita, $113.44 versus $85.06, on 1,769,979 residents against Arkansas’s 3,088,354. Arkansas has more awards (79,590 vs 14,302). FY2026 obligations are $262.7M in Arkansas and $200.8M in West Virginia.
Why is West Virginia’s per-capita figure higher than Arkansas’s?: The packet reports $113.44 per capita in West Virginia on 1,769,979 residents and $85.06 in Arkansas on 3,088,354. Stacked stocks are $1.66B versus $1.72B. Award counts are 14,302 versus 79,590. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
What industries lead in Arkansas and West Virginia?: Arkansas’s top industry is poultry processing. West Virginia’s is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $1.72B and $1.66B. Award counts are 79,590 in Arkansas and 14,302 in West Virginia.
Are Arkansas vs West Virginia figures Treasury outlays?: No. The $1.72B and $1.66B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $262.7M and $200.8M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($85.06 vs $113.44) uses Census population where present.

State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.