California vs Tennessee on USAspending: $39.5B against $3.6B

A 7.2 million Census count on $3.6B

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents are about 18 percent of California’s 39,431,263. Tennessee’s $3.6B is about 9 percent of California’s $39.5B. Dollars lag population, which is why $97.5 trails $135.64. Tennessee is a large Census file with a cooler obligation load per resident than California.

Tennessee files 63,616 awards. California files 639,340. Tennessee’s row count is about 10 percent of California’s, close to its dollar share and below its population share. The tape is not the high-frequency courier file a reader might expect from the lead NAICS alone. Cite USAspending.gov.

Tennessee’s $3.6B courier-led stock on 7,227,750 residents is a large Census file with a cool $97.5 reading; California’s $39.5B construction-led stock on 39,431,263 residents carries $135.64. FY2026 of $704.7M versus $5.3B does not reorder that ranking.

Express delivery versus federal buildings

Tennessee’s lead NAICS is couriers and express delivery services. California’s lead NAICS is commercial and institutional building construction. A logistics peak on $3.6B 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 Tennessee state hubs for agencies and recipients. The 63,616 and 639,340 rows include many other NAICS codes. Do not treat the courier peak as an outlay category.

FY2026: $704.7M versus $5.3B

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $704.7M in Tennessee. Tennessee’s latest-year amount is a sizable slice of $3.6B. California’s $5.3B is a smaller share of $39.5B. Recency preserves California’s dollar lead.

Treat FY2026 as a recency slice of obligations, not Treasury cash. Do not divide $5.3B or $704.7M by 639,340 or 63,616 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $135.64 and $97.5 already uses Census denominators of 39,431,263 and 7,227,750.

Population does not buy a proportional stock

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents would support a much larger stock if obligations tracked California’s $135.64 per capita. They do not. The $3.6B file and the $97.5 reading are the facts. California’s 39,431,263 residents sit on $39.5B.

Keep those per-capita figures labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations. They are not outlays per resident. Place-of-performance for courier work can sit at hubs. The packet does not reallocate.

A large Tennessee Census count under a $3.6B courier stock

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents are about 18 percent of California’s 39,431,263 under a $3.6B courier-led stock that is about 9 percent of California’s $39.5B. That lag is the $97.5 versus $135.64 intensity gap. Tennessee’s 63,616 awards versus California’s 639,340 are closer to the dollar share than to the population share. The courier peak names Tennessee’s largest slice. It does not make Tennessee a high-frequency file on the order of Kentucky’s 140,157 awards in the other California pairing.

FY2026 of $704.7M versus $5.3B restates California’s recency lead. Tennessee’s latest-year amount is a sizable slice of $3.6B. Cite USAspending.gov for obligations. Do not convert courier dollars into outlays, and do not divide $704.7M by 63,616 all-years awards.

Place-of-performance for courier work can sit at hubs. The packet does not reallocate. Use the California and Tennessee hubs for agencies and recipients. The comparison hub holds the $39.5B versus $3.6B tables. Keep commercial construction versus couriers as mix tags. Population of 7,227,750 does not buy Tennessee a proportional share of $39.5B.

Tennessee’s 63,616 awards on 7,227,750 residents under $97.5 per capita describe a large Census count under a $3.6B courier-led stock. California’s $39.5B, 639,340 awards, and $135.64 on 39,431,263 residents remain the scale and intensity side. FY2026 of $704.7M versus $5.3B restates recency. Couriers and express delivery services is a mix tag, not California-scale dollars. Cite USAspending.gov.

How to read California versus Tennessee

Read California first on stacked dollars ($39.5B vs $3.6B), spending per capita ($135.64 vs $97.5), award count (639,340 vs 63,616), and FY2026 ($5.3B vs $704.7M). Read Tennessee for the courier peak against California’s commercial-construction peak, and for a 7,227,750 Census count that does not produce a proportional share of $39.5B.

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

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents and California’s 39,431,263 residents set the $97.5 versus $135.64 denominators on $3.6B versus $39.5B. Award counts of 63,616 versus 639,340 and FY2026 of $704.7M versus $5.3B complete the comparison. Couriers versus commercial construction remains the mix contrast. Cite USAspending.gov. Obligations, not outlays.

Questions

Does California or Tennessee have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Tennessee’s $3.6B. California also leads spending per capita, $135.64 versus $97.5, on 39,431,263 residents against Tennessee’s 7,227,750. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 63,616 in Tennessee. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $704.7M in Tennessee.

What industries lead in California and Tennessee?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Tennessee’s is couriers and express delivery services. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $3.6B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 63,616 in Tennessee. The figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

Why is Tennessee’s per-capita figure lower than California’s?

The packet reports $97.5 per capita in Tennessee on 7,227,750 residents and $135.64 in California on 39,431,263. Stacked stocks are $3.6B versus $39.5B, a larger multiple than the population gap runs in Tennessee’s favor. Award counts are 63,616 versus 639,340.

Are California vs Tennessee figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $3.6B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $704.7M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $97.5) uses Census population where present. Award counts in the packet are all-years totals, not a single fiscal year’s actions.