California vs Iowa on USAspending: $39.5B against $3.8B

A $127.17 reading next to $135.64

Iowa’s Census count of 3,241,488 is about 8 percent of California’s 39,431,263. Iowa’s $3.8B is about 10 percent of California’s $39.5B. Those shares are close enough that per capita of $127.17 versus $135.64 is a near pairing, unlike most California comparisons in this slice. California still leads on intensity, barely. It leads on dollars by a wide margin.

Iowa files 48,706 awards. California files 639,340. Iowa’s row count is about 8 percent of California’s, in line with population and a bit below the dollar share. The Corn Belt tape is neither sparse nor California-scale. Cite USAspending.gov.

Broadcast and wireless equipment versus federal buildings

Iowa’s lead NAICS is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. California’s lead NAICS is commercial and institutional building construction. A communications-equipment peak on $3.8B is a different federal buying pattern than a facilities peak on $39.5B. The packet names those peaks; it does not give shares.

Use the California and Iowa state hubs for agencies and recipients. The 48,706 and 639,340 rows include many other NAICS codes. Do not treat the equipment peak as an outlay category.

FY2026: $412.2M versus $5.3B

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $412.2M in Iowa. Iowa’s latest-year amount is a modest slice of $3.8B. California’s $5.3B is a modest slice of $39.5B. Recency preserves California’s dollar lead and does not disturb the close per-capita pairing.

Treat FY2026 as a recency slice of obligations, not Treasury cash. Do not divide $5.3B or $412.2M by 639,340 or 48,706 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $135.64 and $127.17 already uses Census denominators of 39,431,263 and 3,241,488.

Near intensity, distant stocks

Readers who stop at $127.17 versus $135.64 may miss that the stocks are $3.8B and $39.5B. Intensity can be close while scale is not. Iowa’s communications-equipment peak and California’s commercial-construction peak are mix labels on those different stacks.

Keep every dollar labeled as a USAspending.gov obligation. Outlays are a different series. Place-of-performance for communications equipment can sit at a plant. The packet does not reallocate.

Close intensity on distant stocks

Iowa’s $127.17 per capita on 3,241,488 residents is the close-intensity fact against California’s $135.64 on 39,431,263. The stocks are not close: $3.8B versus $39.5B. Iowa’s radio-and-television-broadcasting-and-wireless-communications-equipment peak on 48,706 awards is a specialty electronics-manufacturing signature. California’s commercial-construction peak on 639,340 awards is a facilities signature. Near ratios, distant dollars, different mixes.

FY2026 of $412.2M versus $5.3B restates California’s recency lead. Iowa’s latest-year amount is a modest slice of $3.8B. Cite USAspending.gov. Outlays are not listed. Do not divide $412.2M by 48,706 all-years awards. The $127.17 and $135.64 readings already use Census denominators against the stacked stocks.

Place-of-performance for communications equipment can sit at a plant. The packet does not reallocate. Use the California and Iowa hubs for agencies and recipients. The comparison hub holds the $39.5B versus $3.8B tables. Keep 48,706 versus 639,340 labeled as all-years award counts. A close per-capita pairing is not a close stacked-stock pairing.

Iowa’s 48,706 awards on 3,241,488 residents under $127.17 per capita describe a close intensity pairing on a $3.8B stock. California’s $39.5B, 639,340 awards, and $135.64 on 39,431,263 residents remain the scale side. FY2026 of $412.2M versus $5.3B restates recency. Broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing is a mix tag. Cite USAspending.gov. Outlays are not listed.

How to read California versus Iowa

Read California first on stacked dollars ($39.5B vs $3.8B), award count (639,340 vs 48,706), and FY2026 ($5.3B vs $412.2M). Read the pair as a close intensity match: $135.64 versus $127.17 on 39,431,263 versus 3,241,488 residents. Note broadcasting and wireless equipment versus commercial construction.

The comparison hub holds the tables. Outlays are not listed.

Iowa’s 3,241,488 residents and California’s 39,431,263 residents set the $127.17 versus $135.64 denominators on $3.8B versus $39.5B. Award counts of 48,706 versus 639,340 and FY2026 of $412.2M versus $5.3B complete the comparison. Broadcasting and wireless equipment versus commercial construction remains the mix contrast. Cite USAspending.gov. Obligations, not Treasury cash.

Questions

Does California or Iowa have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Iowa’s $3.8B. Spending per capita is close: $135.64 in California versus $127.17 in Iowa, on 39,431,263 residents against 3,241,488. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 48,706 in Iowa. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $412.2M in Iowa.

Is Iowa’s per-capita figure near California’s?

The packet reports $127.17 per capita in Iowa on 3,241,488 residents and $135.64 in California on 39,431,263. That is a close intensity pairing on very different stocks of $3.8B versus $39.5B. Award counts are 48,706 versus 639,340. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in California and Iowa?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Iowa’s is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $3.8B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 48,706 in Iowa.

Are California vs Iowa figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $3.8B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $412.2M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $127.17) uses Census population where present. Award counts in the packet are all-years totals, not a single fiscal year’s actions.