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

Aviation cousins with different scale

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Ohio’s $8.1B stock sits $658 million above Connecticut’s $7.5B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. The pair is unusual because the top industry labels sit in the same aircraft-manufacturing family even while people, intensity, and rows diverge.

Connecticut logs 94,990 awards on $7.5B. Ohio logs 168,038 awards on $8.1B. Ohio’s file is busier, but not by the 3-to-1 population ratio (11,883,304 versus 3,675,069). Connecticut’s smaller file on a near-$8 billion stock implies a heavier typical booking than a raw population comparison would suggest.

Connecticut’s 3,675,069 residents versus Ohio’s 11,883,304 residents is the Census engine of $266.81 versus $61.66. The aviation-family labels—other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing—do not cancel that intensity gap. FY2026 of $980,534,818 versus $732,683,316 already favors Connecticut. Stacked dollars of $7,483,687,896 versus $8,141,450,027 still favor Ohio. Award rows are 94,990 versus 168,038.

Four times the per-capita intensity

Connecticut’s $7,483,687,896 on 3,675,069 residents produces $266.81 per capita. Ohio’s $8,141,450,027 on 11,883,304 residents produces $61.66. Intensity in Connecticut is more than four times Ohio’s. That is the headline split, not the $658 million stacked gap.

A $266.81 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $7.5B, not a transfer to each resident. Ohio’s $61.66 is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Ohio can lead stacked dollars while trailing badly on a per-resident basis because 11,883,304 people spread a similar stock more thinly.

Aircraft parts in Connecticut, aircraft engines in Ohio

Connecticut’s top industry is other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Ohio’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those NAICS labels mark the largest grouping in each file. Parts awards and engine awards are related lead products, not identical ones, sitting on $7.5B and $8.1B stocks.

An aircraft-parts lead inside Connecticut’s 94,990-award file can concentrate auxiliary equipment without explaining every dollar. An engine-parts lead inside Ohio’s 168,038-award file can concentrate propulsion manufacturing without making Ohio a single-product state. Shared industry family does not mean shared files. Neither label is the entire stock.

FY2026 flips: $980.5M in Connecticut vs $732.7M in Ohio

FY2026 obligations are $980,534,818 in Connecticut and $732,683,316 in Ohio. Connecticut leads the latest year even though Ohio leads the stacked ranking. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $7.5B and $8.1B totals remain the full USAspending.gov aggregate this comparison uses. Both years are obligations, not outlays.

Do not divide those FY figures by Connecticut’s 94,990 or Ohio’s 168,038 all-years awards. Per capita of $266.81 on 3,675,069 residents versus $61.66 on 11,883,304 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 is the cut that reverses the dollar ranking. Stacked totals still favor Ohio.

Connecticut’s $980,534,818 FY2026 versus Ohio’s $732,683,316 already reverses $7,483,687,896 versus $8,141,450,027. 94,990 awards versus 168,038 awards and 3,675,069 residents versus 11,883,304 residents still explain $266.81 versus $61.66. Aviation-family labels do not merge those files. Keep FY2026 separate from the stacked stocks.

Ohio’s stock, Connecticut’s intensity

Ohio leads stacked dollars ($8.1B vs $7.5B), award count (168,038 vs 94,990), and population (11,883,304 vs 3,675,069). Connecticut leads per capita ($266.81 vs $61.66) and FY2026 ($980.5M vs $732.7M). Those splits are why this pair cannot be read as a simple large-state win.

Other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Connecticut and Ohio hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep both stocks labeled as USAspending.gov obligations.

Shared aviation family is not a shared file

Other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing in Connecticut and aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing in Ohio sit in the same industry family. They do not make $7,483,687,896 and $8,141,450,027 interchangeable. Connecticut’s 94,990 awards on 3,675,069 residents produce $266.81 per capita. Ohio’s 168,038 awards on 11,883,304 residents produce $61.66.

FY2026 of $980,534,818 in Connecticut versus $732,683,316 in Ohio is the recency cut that already favors the smaller Census count. Stacked dollars still favor Ohio. Readers should not blend those years. Both are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement outlays.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Connecticut or Ohio?

Ohio leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,141,450,027 versus Connecticut’s $7,483,687,896. Ohio has more awards (168,038 vs 94,990) and more people (11,883,304 vs 3,675,069). Spending per capita is $266.81 in Connecticut and $61.66 in Ohio. FY2026 obligations are $980.5M and $732.7M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why is Connecticut’s per-capita federal spending so much higher than Ohio’s?

Connecticut’s $7.5B stock sits on 3,675,069 residents, which produces $266.81 per capita. Ohio’s $8.1B stock sits on 11,883,304 residents, which produces $61.66. Intensity favors Connecticut by more than four times. Award rows are 94,990 versus 168,038. FY2026 also favors Connecticut ($980.5M vs $732.7M).

Do Connecticut and Ohio share the same top industry?

They share an aircraft-manufacturing family, not the same NAICS label. Connecticut’s top industry is other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. Ohio’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those slices sit on $7.5B and $8.1B stocks. Award counts are 94,990 in Connecticut and 168,038 in Ohio.

Are Connecticut vs Ohio figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $7.5B and $8.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $980.5M and $732.7M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.