Colorado vs Connecticut on USAspending: $8.1B vs $7.5B

Nearly identical award files, different people

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Colorado’s $8.1B stock sits $569 million above Connecticut’s $7.5B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. The unusual fact is the row count. Colorado logs 91,723 awards; Connecticut logs 94,990. On stocks this large, those files are effectively the same size.

Matched rows with unmatched people is the engine of the intensity gap. Colorado’s 5,957,493 residents exceed Connecticut’s 3,675,069. The same-order award files sit on different Census bases. Connecticut’s $7.5B on 94,990 actions and 3,675,069 people is a denser book than Colorado’s $8.1B on 91,723 actions and 5,957,493 people.

Colorado’s 91,723 awards and Connecticut’s 94,990 awards are the reason this pair is useful as an intensity comparison. $8,052,957,089 on 5,957,493 residents produces $97.34. $7,483,687,896 on 3,675,069 residents produces $266.81. FY2026 of $579,929,386 versus $980,534,818 is the recency cut that favors Connecticut. Chartered freight air versus aircraft parts is mix, not a full industrial map of either stock.

Connecticut’s $266.81 versus Colorado’s $97.34

Divide each obligation stock by Census population and Connecticut’s reading is $266.81 against Colorado’s $97.34. Intensity in Connecticut is more than 2.7 times Colorado’s. Colorado still leads stacked dollars. Intensity is not a restatement of the $8.1B versus $7.5B ranking.

A $266.81 per-person reading on 3,675,069 residents is an intensity fact attached to $7.5B, not a household check. Colorado’s $97.34 on 5,957,493 residents is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar award counts can hide a wide per-resident split.

Chartered freight air versus aircraft parts

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Connecticut’s is other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Those NAICS labels mark the largest grouping in each file. Charter-freight awards and aircraft-parts awards are different lead products sitting on stocks $569 million apart.

A chartered-freight lead can concentrate transportation awards inside Colorado’s 91,723-award file. An aircraft-parts lead can concentrate auxiliary equipment inside Connecticut’s 94,990-award file. Mix differs even while row counts stay close. Neither label explains every dollar in the $8.1B or $7.5B stocks.

FY2026: $579.9M in Colorado vs $980.5M in Connecticut

FY2026 obligations are $579,929,386 in Colorado and $980,534,818 in Connecticut. Connecticut’s latest year is far ahead, reversing the stacked ranking. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $8.1B and $7.5B totals remain the full USAspending.gov aggregate this comparison uses. Both years are obligations, not outlays.

Do not divide those FY figures by Colorado’s 91,723 or Connecticut’s 94,990 all-years awards. Per capita of $97.34 on 5,957,493 residents versus $266.81 on 3,675,069 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 is the cut that most clearly favors Connecticut. Stacked totals still favor Colorado.

Connecticut’s $980,534,818 FY2026 versus Colorado’s $579,929,386 is the recency cut that most clearly favors Connecticut. Stacked stocks of $8,052,957,089 versus $7,483,687,896 still favor Colorado. 91,723 awards versus 94,990 awards stay close. 5,957,493 residents versus 3,675,069 residents produce $97.34 versus $266.81. Keep those cuts separate.

Same-size files, opposite intensity

Colorado leads stacked dollars ($8.1B vs $7.5B) and population (5,957,493 vs 3,675,069). Connecticut leads per capita ($266.81 vs $97.34) and FY2026 ($980.5M vs $579.9M). Award counts are effectively tied (91,723 vs 94,990). That row tie is why this pair is useful as an intensity comparison rather than a paperwork comparison.

Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Colorado and Connecticut hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep both stocks labeled as USAspending.gov obligations.

Why matched rows make intensity the useful cut

Colorado’s 91,723 awards and Connecticut’s 94,990 awards are close enough that this pair is a poor paperwork contest. It is a useful intensity contest. $8,052,957,089 on 5,957,493 residents produces $97.34 per capita. $7,483,687,896 on 3,675,069 residents produces $266.81. Same-size files, different people.

FY2026 of $579,929,386 versus $980,534,818 is the recency cut that favors Connecticut. Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing is mix. Do not treat those NAICS labels as the rest of either $8.1B or $7.5B stock. Both figures are USAspending.gov obligations. Colorado’s $8,052,957,089 and Connecticut’s $7,483,687,896 remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Colorado or Connecticut?

Colorado leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,052,957,089 versus Connecticut’s $7,483,687,896. Award counts are close (91,723 vs 94,990). Colorado has more people (5,957,493 vs 3,675,069). Spending per capita is $97.34 in Colorado and $266.81 in Connecticut. FY2026 obligations are $579.9M and $980.5M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Are Colorado and Connecticut award counts similar?

Yes. Colorado logs 91,723 awards on $8.1B. Connecticut logs 94,990 awards on $7.5B. The files are nearly the same size in rows. Intensity is not: $97.34 versus $266.81. Populations are 5,957,493 and 3,675,069. FY2026 favors Connecticut ($980.5M vs $579.9M).

What industries lead Colorado and Connecticut federal awards?

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Connecticut’s is other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Those slices sit on $8.1B and $7.5B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 91,723 in Colorado and 94,990 in Connecticut.

Are Colorado vs Connecticut figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.1B and $7.5B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $579.9M and $980.5M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.