Colorado vs Washington on USAspending: $8.1B vs $7.3B

Colorado’s stacked lead, Washington’s row lead

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Colorado’s $8.1B stock sits $716 million above Washington’s $7.3B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Washington has more people (7,958,180 versus 5,957,493) and more awards (236,821 versus 91,723). Colorado still holds the larger dollar stock.

Colorado’s $8,052,957,089 sits on 91,723 records. Washington’s $7,337,035,583 is spread across 236,821. That is more than 2.5 Washington awards for each Colorado award. Dollars favor Colorado; paperwork volume favors Washington. The $8.1B versus $7.3B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

FY2026 of $579,929,386 versus $584,612,717 is a $5 million recency gap. Stacked stocks of $8,052,957,089 versus $7,337,035,583 are a $716 million gap. Award rows of 91,723 versus 236,821 and people of 5,957,493 versus 7,958,180 are the other splits. Per capita of $97.34 versus $73.46 follows from those stocks and those Census counts. Chartered freight air versus building construction is mix. Do not treat the recency tie as a stacked tie.

Fewer people in Colorado, higher intensity

Colorado’s 5,957,493 residents against $8.1B produce $97.34 per capita. Washington’s 7,958,180 residents against $7.3B produce $73.46. Intensity favors Colorado, in the same direction as the stacked ranking. Population does not invert the dollar lead; it widens the per-person gap.

A $97.34 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $8.1B, not a household payment. Washington’s $73.46 is attached to $7.3B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. A thinner 91,723-award file on a larger stock is consistent with a heavier typical booking in Colorado.

Chartered freight air versus building construction

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those NAICS labels mark the largest grouping in each state’s file. Charter-freight awards and building awards are different lead products sitting on $8.1B and $7.3B stocks.

A chartered-freight lead can concentrate transportation awards inside Colorado’s 91,723-award file. A construction lead inside Washington’s 236,821-award file can include large facility actions without making Washington a single-product state. Mix and scale both differ. Neither label is the entire stock.

FY2026 is a photo finish: $579.9M vs $584.6M

FY2026 obligations are $579,929,386 in Colorado and $584,612,717 in Washington. Washington is slightly ahead in the latest year, reversing a stacked ranking that favors Colorado by $716 million. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $8.1B and $7.3B 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 Washington’s 236,821 all-years awards. Per capita of $97.34 on 5,957,493 residents versus $73.46 on 7,958,180 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 is the cut that is effectively tied. Stacked totals still favor Colorado.

Colorado’s $579,929,386 FY2026 versus Washington’s $584,612,717 is a recency photo finish on stocks of $8,052,957,089 versus $7,337,035,583. 91,723 awards versus 236,821 awards remain the paperwork split. 5,957,493 residents versus 7,958,180 residents produce $97.34 versus $73.46. A $5 million latest-year gap is not a stacked tie.

What the latest year does not erase

Colorado leads stacked dollars ($8.1B vs $7.3B) and per capita ($97.34 vs $73.46). Washington leads award count (236,821 vs 91,723), population (7,958,180 vs 5,957,493), and FY2026 by a thin margin ($584.6M vs $579.9M). Those splits are why a recency tie should not be read as a stacked tie.

Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus commercial and institutional building construction is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Colorado and Washington hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep both stocks labeled as USAspending.gov obligations.

A recency tie is not a stacked tie

FY2026 of $579,929,386 in Colorado and $584,612,717 in Washington is a photo finish. The stacked stocks are not: $8,052,957,089 versus $7,337,035,583. Award rows of 91,723 versus 236,821 and Census counts of 5,957,493 versus 7,958,180 are the other splits. Per capita of $97.34 versus $73.46 follows from those stocks and those people.

Nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation versus commercial and institutional building construction is mix. Readers should not average FY2026 into the stacked totals or treat a $5 million recency gap as evidence the files are the same size. Both years are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Colorado or Washington?

Colorado leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,052,957,089 versus Washington’s $7,337,035,583. Washington has more awards (236,821 vs 91,723) and more people (7,958,180 vs 5,957,493). Spending per capita is $97.34 in Colorado and $73.46 in Washington. FY2026 obligations are $579.9M and $584.6M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Is Colorado vs Washington tied in FY2026?

Almost. FY2026 obligations are $579,929,386 in Colorado and $584,612,717 in Washington. Washington is slightly ahead in the latest year. The stacked ranking still favors Colorado ($8.1B vs $7.3B). Award counts are 91,723 versus 236,821. Per capita is $97.34 versus $73.46.

What industries lead Colorado and Washington federal awards?

Colorado’s top industry is nonscheduled chartered freight air transportation. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those slices sit on $8.1B and $7.3B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 91,723 in Colorado and 236,821 in Washington.

Are Colorado vs Washington figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.1B and $7.3B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $579.9M and $584.6M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.