Colorado vs Michigan on USAspending: $8.1B vs $8.4B

Nearly matched stocks: $8.1B versus $8.4B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Michigan’s $8.4B edges Colorado’s $8.1B by a thin margin. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Among two states with similar dollar stocks, the files diverge on every other cut: people, rows, intensity, and recency.

Award counts are not close. Michigan has 416,538 awards; Colorado has 91,723. Michigan’s file is busier in rows on a dollar stock that is only modestly larger. Colorado’s $8.1B on 91,723 actions implies a much heavier typical booking than Michigan’s $8.4B spread across 416,538 records.

Michigan’s $175.18 versus Colorado’s $97.34

Michigan’s 10,140,459 residents exceed Colorado’s 5,957,493. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Michigan shows $175.18 per capita and Colorado shows $97.34. Intensity favors Michigan in the same direction as the $8.4B versus $8.1B ranking, and by more than the thin dollar gap would suggest.

A $97.34 per-person reading in Colorado on 5,957,493 residents is an intensity fact attached to $8.1B. Michigan’s $175.18 on 10,140,459 residents is attached to $8.4B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar stocks can hide different intensity.

Chartered freight air in Colorado, automobiles in Michigan

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Michigan’s is automobile manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. Charter-freight awards and auto-manufacturing awards are different lead products sitting on $8.1B and $8.4B.

A chartered-freight lead can concentrate large transportation awards inside Colorado’s 91,723-award file — consistent with fewer rows and a similar dollar stock. An automobile-manufacturing lead can concentrate vehicle production inside Michigan’s 416,538-award file. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: $579.9M in Colorado vs $1.8B in Michigan

FY2026 obligations are $579.9M in Colorado and $1.8B in Michigan. Michigan’s latest year remains well ahead, widening a stacked ranking that is otherwise close. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The stacked 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 Michigan’s 416,538 all-years awards. Per capita of $97.34 on 5,957,493 residents versus $175.18 on 10,140,459 residents is the intensity comparison. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

Matched dollars, unmatched files

Michigan leads stacked dollars ($8.4B vs $8.1B), award count (416,538 vs 91,723), population (10,140,459 vs 5,957,493), per capita ($175.18 vs $97.34), and FY2026 ($1.8B vs $579.9M). Colorado’s distinctive fact is the thin row count: 91,723 awards on an $8.1B stock that nearly matches Michigan’s $8.4B.

Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus automobile manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Colorado and Michigan hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $8.1B and $8.4B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Colorado and Michigan hubs

Colorado’s 91,723 awards on $8.1B versus Michigan’s 416,538 awards on $8.4B is a close-stock pair with an extreme row gap. Per capita of $97.34 versus $175.18 on 5,957,493 and 10,140,459 residents favors Michigan, as does FY2026’s $579.9M versus $1.8B. Open the Colorado hub and the Michigan hub for agencies and recipients. Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus automobile manufacturing is mix, not a census.

These are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Do not divide latest-year dollars by all-years award counts. Place of performance can differ from the paying agency’s location. Use the hubs when the next question is who received the awards. Keep $8.1B and $8.4B labeled as obligations so a close stock is not mistaken for similar typical booking. Colorado’s thinner row count is the distinctive fact.

Colorado versus Michigan is a near match on stock of $8.1B versus $8.4B with 91,723 awards versus 416,538. Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation and automobile manufacturing are lead slices. FY2026 of $579.9M versus $1.8B favors Michigan. Per capita is $97.34 versus $175.18 on 5,957,493 and 10,140,459 residents. Obligations are not outlays. The Colorado and Michigan hubs hold agencies and recipients. Colorado’s thinner row count is the distinctive fact. Colorado’s 91,723 awards on $8.1B versus Michigan’s 416,538 awards on $8.4B is the row gap. Chartered freight air versus automobiles is mix. FY2026’s $579.9M versus $1.8B and $97.34 versus $175.18 per capita on 5,957,493 and 10,140,459 residents follow Michigan.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Colorado or Michigan?

Michigan leads slightly in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8.4B versus Colorado’s $8.1B. Michigan has far more awards (416,538 vs 91,723) and more people (10,140,459 vs 5,957,493). Spending per capita is $97.34 in Colorado and $175.18 in Michigan. FY2026 obligations are $579.9M and $1.8B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does Colorado have so few awards relative to Michigan on similar dollars?

Colorado logs 91,723 awards on $8.1B. Michigan logs 416,538 awards on $8.4B. Colorado’s file is lighter in rows on a nearly matched stock, which implies a heavier typical booking. Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Populations are 5,957,493 and 10,140,459. Per capita is $97.34 versus $175.18.

What industries lead Colorado and Michigan federal awards?

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Michigan’s is automobile manufacturing. Those slices sit on $8.1B and $8.4B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 91,723 in Colorado and 416,538 in Michigan.

Are Colorado vs Michigan figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.1B and $8.4B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $579.9M and $1.8B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.