California vs District of Columbia on USAspending: $39.5B vs $19.9B

D.C.’s $3,166.95 against California’s $135.64

The District of Columbia’s spending per capita is $3166.95 against $135.64 in the paired state. A small Census count — 702,250 in the District versus 39,431,263 in the state — produces an intensity reading that no large-state file matches in this pair. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays. Cash payments can lag award dates. Headquarters can differ from the state coded on the award.

Stacked stock still matters. California holds $39.5B; District of Columbia holds $19.9B. The District can trail or lead that stock while leading intensity. Place of performance in the capital is not a state economy in miniature. It is a dense award geography on a small population denominator.

95,844 capital awards vs 639,340 California awards

Award counts are 639,340 in California and 95,844 in District of Columbia. The District’s row file is smaller. The paired state’s row file is larger. Neither count is an outlay. The District’s $19.9B is about half of California’s $39.5B on a Census count that is not in the same league as 39,431,263.

Administrative management and general management consulting services as the District peak is a capital-services mix. Commercial and institutional building construction as California’s peak is a facilities mix on a much larger population. Intensity uses Census population against stacked obligations. It is not personal income and it is not a city-versus-state verdict.

Consulting services vs building construction

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. District of Columbia’s top industry is administrative management and general management consulting services. Administrative and consulting work often peaks in the District; the paired state’s peak is a different NAICS bar on a different dollar stock. Each label is the tallest slice, not the whole $39.5B or $19.9B file.

Use the comparison hub for the side-by-side tables, then the California and District of Columbia state hubs for agencies and recipients. Mix does not erase the per-capita gap, and the per-capita gap does not erase the stacked-dollar ranking.

FY2026: $5.3B vs $2.2B

FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $2.2B in District of Columbia. Recency is a single-year cut of the same obligations series. Do not annualize it. Do not divide it by 639,340 or 95,844 all-years awards.

Per capita of $135.64 and $3166.95 stays on the stacked totals and the Census counts of 39,431,263 and 702,250. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays. Cash payments can lag award dates. Headquarters can differ from the state coded on the award.

Stock in California, intensity in the District

Read this pair as a stock-versus-intensity split: $39.5B versus $19.9B on dollars, $135.64 versus $3166.95 on per person, 639,340 versus 95,844 on awards. The District’s small population is the denominator that makes intensity look extreme. The paired state’s larger population is the denominator that makes intensity look milder even on a bigger stock.

Use the comparison hub for the side-by-side tables, then the California and District of Columbia state hubs for agencies and recipients. FY2026 ($5.3B vs $2.2B) is recency. commercial and institutional building construction versus administrative management and general management consulting services is mix. None of those cuts are Treasury outlays.

Half the dollars, many times the intensity

The District’s $19.9B on 702,250 residents produces $3,166.95 per capita. California’s $39.5B on 39,431,263 residents produces $135.64. Award counts of 95,844 versus 639,340 follow geography more than they follow the per-person ratio. FY2026’s $2.2B versus $5.3B is recency.

Consulting versus construction is mix. Both files are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Use the California and District of Columbia hubs for agencies and recipients.

California versus District of Columbia on USAspending.gov is $39.5B versus $19.9B in stacked obligations, 639,340 versus 95,844 awards, 39,431,263 versus 702,250 residents, $135.64 versus $3166.95 per capita, and $5.3B versus $2.2B in FY2026. Top industries remain commercial and institutional building construction and administrative management and general management consulting services. Those cuts are the packet.

Do not divide FY2026 dollars by all-years award counts. Do not treat $135.64 and $3166.95 as household income. Do not treat commercial and institutional building construction or administrative management and general management consulting services as a complete industrial census. Place of performance can differ from headquarters. Cash outlays can lag. After the comparison table, the California and District of Columbia state hubs hold agencies and recipients.

Questions

Which has more federal spending, California or District of Columbia?

California shows $39.5B in USAspending.gov obligations; District of Columbia shows $19.9B. Award counts are 639,340 and 95,844. Populations are 39,431,263 and 702,250. Spending per capita is $135.64 versus $3166.95. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B and $2.2B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

What industries lead California and District of Columbia federal awards?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. District of Columbia’s top industry is administrative management and general management consulting services. Those slices sit on $39.5B and $19.9B in USAspending.gov obligations and on 639,340 versus 95,844 awards. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award.

How do California and District of Columbia compare on spending per capita?

Spending per capita is $135.64 in California on 39,431,263 residents and $3166.95 in District of Columbia on 702,250 residents. Those ratios use stacked USAspending.gov obligations of $39.5B and $19.9B, not FY2026 alone and not GDP. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Are California vs District of Columbia figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $19.9B stacked totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $2.2B, are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Award counts are 639,340 and 95,844. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.