Arizona vs Massachusetts on USAspending: $13.1B vs $13.5B

Nearly matched stocks: $13.1B versus $13.5B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Massachusetts’s $13.5B edges Arizona’s $13.1B by a thin margin. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Among two states with similar Census counts, the stacked ranking is close enough that other cuts — rows, intensity, recency — do more work than the dollar lead.

Award counts are not close. Massachusetts has 294,824 awards; Arizona has 118,504. Massachusetts’s file is busier in rows on a dollar stock that is only modestly larger. Arizona’s $13.1B on 118,504 actions implies a heavier typical booking than Massachusetts’s $13.5B spread across 294,824 records.

Arizona’s $435.71 versus Massachusetts’s $364.70

Arizona’s 7,582,384 residents and Massachusetts’s 7,136,171 residents sit in the same band. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Arizona shows $435.71 per capita and Massachusetts shows $364.70. Intensity favors Arizona even though Massachusetts holds the slightly larger $13.5B stock.

A $435.71 per-person reading in Arizona on 7,582,384 residents is an intensity fact attached to $13.1B. Massachusetts’s $364.70 on 7,136,171 residents is attached to $13.5B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Two similar populations do not produce identical files.

Health insurers in Arizona, aircraft engines in Massachusetts

Arizona’s top industry is direct health and medical insurance carriers. Massachusetts’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. Insurance-carrier awards and engine-parts awards are different lead products sitting on $13.1B and $13.5B.

A health-insurance lead can concentrate large medical-coverage actions inside Arizona’s 118,504-award file. An aircraft-engine lead can concentrate propulsion manufacturing inside Massachusetts’s 294,824-award file. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: Arizona’s $3.3B leads Massachusetts’s $2.6B

FY2026 obligations are $3.3B in Arizona and $2.6B in Massachusetts. The latest year reverses the stacked ranking. Arizona’s $3.3B is a large slice of its $13.1B stock; Massachusetts’s $2.6B is a sizable slice of $13.5B. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The all-years totals remain the comparison’s headline stock.

Do not divide those FY figures by Arizona’s 118,504 or Massachusetts’s 294,824 all-years awards. Those row counts cover the stacked file, not a single fiscal year. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays can lag award dates, so a $3.3B versus $2.6B latest-year reading is a commitment scoreboard, not a cash-flow statement.

Matched size, unmatched mix

Massachusetts leads stacked dollars ($13.5B vs $13.1B) and award count (294,824 vs 118,504). Arizona leads population (7,582,384 vs 7,136,171), per capita ($435.71 vs $364.70), and FY2026 ($3.3B vs $2.6B). Those splits are why Arizona versus Massachusetts cannot be reduced to two similar $13B files.

Direct health and medical insurance carriers versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Arizona and Massachusetts hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $13.1B and $13.5B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Arizona and Massachusetts hubs

Two mid-size states with 7,582,384 and 7,136,171 residents post $13.1B and $13.5B — a near match on stock and people. Award counts of 118,504 versus 294,824 and FY2026 of $3.3B versus $2.6B are where the files diverge. Open the Arizona hub and the Massachusetts hub for agencies and recipients. Direct health and medical insurance carriers versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix, not a census of either stock.

Per capita of $435.71 versus $364.70 favors Arizona on similar Census counts. These are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Do not divide latest-year dollars by all-years award counts. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits. Use the hubs for the next drill-down. Keep $13.1B and $13.5B labeled as obligations so a close stock is not mistaken for identical files.

Arizona versus Massachusetts is a near match on stock and people: $13.1B versus $13.5B on 7,582,384 and 7,136,171 residents. Direct health and medical insurance carriers and aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing sit on 118,504 and 294,824 awards. FY2026 of $3.3B versus $2.6B favors Arizona. Per capita is $435.71 versus $364.70. Obligations remain the unit. The Arizona and Massachusetts hubs hold the next tables. Close stocks of $13.1B and $13.5B on 7,582,384 and 7,136,171 residents still hide 118,504 versus 294,824 awards. FY2026’s $3.3B versus $2.6B is Arizona’s recency edge on an otherwise matched pair.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Arizona or Massachusetts?

Massachusetts leads slightly in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $13.5B versus Arizona’s $13.1B. Massachusetts has more awards (294,824 vs 118,504). Arizona has more people (7,582,384 vs 7,136,171). Spending per capita is $435.71 in Arizona and $364.70 in Massachusetts. FY2026 obligations are $3.3B in Arizona and $2.6B in Massachusetts. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Are Arizona and Massachusetts similar in federal obligations?

The stacked totals are close ($13.1B vs $13.5B) and the Census counts are close (7,582,384 vs 7,136,171). Award counts are not: 118,504 in Arizona versus 294,824 in Massachusetts. Per capita favors Arizona ($435.71 vs $364.70). FY2026 favors Arizona ($3.3B vs $2.6B). Similar stocks can hide different files.

What industries lead Arizona and Massachusetts federal awards?

Arizona’s top industry is direct health and medical insurance carriers. Massachusetts’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those slices sit on $13.1B and $13.5B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 118,504 in Arizona and 294,824 in Massachusetts.

Are Arizona vs Massachusetts figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $13.1B and $13.5B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $3.3B and $2.6B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.