California vs Nevada on USAspending: $39.5B vs $2.9B

Nevada’s $171.84 vs California’s $135.64

California’s $39.5B and Nevada’s $2.9B are not near-peers on stacked USAspending.gov obligations. Population is 39,431,263 versus 3,267,467. Intensity flips: Nevada’s $171.84 per capita exceeds California’s $135.64. Award counts run with scale, not with the per-person ratio — 639,340 in California and 45,442 in Nevada. Cite USAspending.gov for the stacked totals. Cash payments can lag award dates, which is why this page stays on obligations.

A scale pair can invert intensity when the smaller Census count sits on a stock that does not shrink as fast as population. Nevada’s 3,267,467 residents on $2.9B produce $171.84 per capita. California’s 39,431,263 residents on $39.5B produce $135.64. The dollar ranking and the per-person ranking disagree. FY2026 of $5.3B versus $561.5M still follows the stacked dollar ranking.

Nevada’s 45,442 awards on $2.9B are a sparse row count beside California’s 639,340 on $39.5B. Fewer actions, hotter ratio. That is a size-of-action story as much as a headcount story. These figures remain USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Cite USAspending.gov for the $39.5B and $2.9B stocks.

Construction in California, automobile manufacturing in Nevada

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Nevada’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. Those peaks sit on $39.5B and $2.9B. A facilities peak on a 39,431,263 Census file is not the same mix as an auto-manufacturing peak on a 3,267,467 Census file. Neither label describes every one of 639,340 or 45,442 awards. Mix is a first read, not a full industrial census of either state.

Automobile manufacturing on Nevada’s $2.9B file can concentrate large vehicle awards. Commercial and institutional building construction on California’s $39.5B file is a facilities peak on a much larger Census count. Use the comparison hub for the side-by-side tables, then the California and Nevada state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not listed.

FY2026: $5.3B vs $561.5M

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $561.5M in Nevada. Recency preserves California’s stacked dollar lead. Nevada’s $561.5M latest-year amount is still a thin slice beside $5.3B. Do not divide $5.3B or $561.5M by 639,340 or 45,442 all-years awards. Those award counts cover the stacked files, not a single fiscal year.

Spending per capita of $135.64 and $171.84 already sits beside Census counts of 39,431,263 and 3,267,467 against the $39.5B and $2.9B stocks. FY2026 is a later cut of the same USAspending.gov obligation series. Cash paid is not in the packet. Cite USAspending.gov for both the year slice and the stacked totals.

45,442 awards on a $2.9B stock

Nevada files 45,442 awards on $2.9B. California files 639,340 awards on $39.5B. Nevada’s thinner row count sits beside the hotter $171.84 per capita reading. California’s busier 639,340-award file sits beside $135.64. Rows, dollars, and intensity do not move as one. Population of 3,267,467 versus 39,431,263 is the Census side of that ratio.

Keep $171.84 and $135.64 labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations. They are not outlays per resident and not household income. Cite USAspending.gov. Outlays would require a different series. California’s $39.5B stock and Nevada’s $2.9B stock remain the stacked scoreboard underneath those ratios.

How to read California versus Nevada

Read California first on stacked dollars ($39.5B vs $2.9B), awards (639,340 vs 45,442), and FY2026 ($5.3B vs $561.5M). Read Nevada first on spending per capita ($171.84 vs $135.64) on 3,267,467 residents against 39,431,263. Note construction versus automobile manufacturing. Nevada’s 45,442 awards on $2.9B are the sparse-file cut.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The California and Nevada hubs hold agencies and recipients. Keep every dollar figure labeled as an obligation. Outlays are a different USAspending.gov series. Per-capita figures of $135.64 and $171.84 use Census population where present.

Scale to California, intensity to Nevada

California versus Nevada on USAspending.gov is $39.5B versus $2.9B in stacked obligations, 639,340 versus 45,442 awards, 39,431,263 versus 3,267,467 residents, $135.64 versus $171.84 per capita, and $5.3B versus $561.5M in FY2026. Top industries remain commercial and institutional building construction and automobile manufacturing. Those cuts are the packet.

Do not treat automobile manufacturing or commercial and institutional building construction as a complete industrial census. Do not treat $171.84 and $135.64 as household income. After the comparison table, the California and Nevada state hubs hold agencies and recipients. Figures remain USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Cite USAspending.gov for the $39.5B and $2.9B stocks.

Questions

Does California or Nevada have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Nevada’s $2.9B. Nevada leads spending per capita, $171.84 versus $135.64, on 3,267,467 residents against California’s 39,431,263. Award counts are 639,340 versus 45,442. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $561.5M in Nevada. Cite USAspending.gov.

Why is Nevada’s per-capita figure higher than California’s?

The packet reports $171.84 per capita in Nevada on 3,267,467 residents and $135.64 in California on 39,431,263. Stacked stocks are $2.9B versus $39.5B. Award counts are 45,442 versus 639,340. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. FY2026 amounts are $5.3B and $561.5M.

What industries lead in California and Nevada?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Nevada’s is automobile manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $2.9B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 45,442 in Nevada. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B and $561.5M.

Are California vs Nevada figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $2.9B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $561.5M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $171.84) uses Census population where present. Award counts are 639,340 and 45,442.