Georgia vs North Carolina on USAspending: $9.7B vs $6.3B

Georgia’s $9.7B versus North Carolina’s $6.3B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Georgia’s $9.7B is about 1.5 times North Carolina’s $6.3B. Among two Southeastern states with nearly matching resident counts, the award-dollar lead belongs to Georgia in this aggregate. Hold that stock before reaching for familiar stories about aircraft plants or drug manufacturing.

Award counts run the other way. North Carolina has 429,746 awards; Georgia has 278,028. North Carolina’s file is busier in rows and lighter in dollars. Georgia’s file is heavier in dollars on fewer actions — a higher typical booking. The $9.7B versus $6.3B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

Matched populations, unmatched intensity

Georgia’s 11,180,878 residents and North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents differ by a thin margin. Spending per capita still favors Georgia: $95.66 versus $66.77. After dividing $9.7B and $6.3B by those Census counts, Georgia remains more intensive even though the two populations are close enough that a casual reader might expect similar totals.

A $95.66 per-person reading in Georgia on 11,180,878 residents is an intensity fact attached to $9.7B. North Carolina’s $66.77 on 11,046,024 residents is attached to $6.3B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Two similar Census counts still produce different files.

Aircraft in Georgia, pharmaceuticals in North Carolina

Georgia’s top industry is aircraft manufacturing. North Carolina’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. Aircraft awards and drug-manufacturing awards are different lead products sitting on $9.7B and $6.3B.

An aircraft-manufacturing lead can concentrate airframe production inside Georgia’s 278,028-award file. A pharmaceutical-preparation lead inside North Carolina’s 429,746-award file can sit among many smaller actions. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: $1.1B in Georgia vs $737.5M in North Carolina

FY2026 obligations are $1.1B in Georgia and $737.5M in North Carolina. Georgia’s latest year remains ahead, matching the direction of the $9.7B versus $6.3B stacked ranking. 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 Georgia’s 278,028 or North Carolina’s 429,746 all-years awards. Per capita of $95.66 on 11,180,878 residents versus $66.77 on 11,046,024 residents is the intensity comparison that already sits on nearly matched populations. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

Same-size Carolinas neighbors, different award files

Georgia versus North Carolina is a pair where population almost drops out of the explanation. 11,180,878 versus 11,046,024 does not produce $9.7B versus $6.3B. Award counts actually favor North Carolina (429,746 vs 278,028). Dollars, per capita, and FY2026 all favor Georgia. That disagreement is the reason this pair cannot be summarized as two equal states with equal files.

Aircraft manufacturing versus pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Georgia and North Carolina hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $9.7B and $6.3B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Georgia and North Carolina hubs

Matched Census counts of 11,180,878 and 11,046,024 make this pair a clean test of whether population explains the award file. It does not: Georgia’s $9.7B still outruns North Carolina’s $6.3B. North Carolina’s 429,746 awards versus Georgia’s 278,028 show that a busier file can be the lighter file in dollars. Open the Georgia hub and the North Carolina hub for agencies and recipients. Aircraft manufacturing versus pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing is mix.

Per capita of $95.66 versus $66.77 and FY2026 of $1.1B versus $737.5M follow Georgia’s stacked lead. These are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Do not divide latest-year dollars by all-years award counts. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits. Use the hubs for the next drill-down. Keep $9.7B and $6.3B labeled as obligations so similar populations are not mistaken for similar stocks.

Georgia versus North Carolina is the pair where 11,180,878 and 11,046,024 residents look interchangeable until $9.7B meets $6.3B. Aircraft manufacturing and pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing sit on 278,028 and 429,746 awards. FY2026 of $1.1B versus $737.5M follows Georgia. Per capita of $95.66 versus $66.77 is the intensity cut on those matched Census counts. Obligations remain the unit. The Georgia and North Carolina hubs hold the next tables.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Georgia or North Carolina?

Georgia leads in USAspending.gov obligations: $9.7B versus North Carolina’s $6.3B. North Carolina has more awards (429,746 vs 278,028). Populations are close: 11,180,878 in Georgia and 11,046,024 in North Carolina. Spending per capita is $95.66 in Georgia and $66.77 in North Carolina. FY2026 obligations are $1.1B and $737.5M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Do Georgia and North Carolina have similar populations but different federal totals?

Yes. Georgia’s 11,180,878 residents and North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents are nearly matched, yet Georgia’s $9.7B obligation stock is about 1.5 times North Carolina’s $6.3B. Per capita is $95.66 versus $66.77. North Carolina still logs more awards (429,746 vs 278,028), so Georgia’s lead is dollars, not row count.

What industries lead Georgia and North Carolina federal awards?

Georgia’s top industry is aircraft manufacturing. North Carolina’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those slices sit on $9.7B and $6.3B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 278,028 in Georgia and 429,746 in North Carolina.

Are Georgia vs North Carolina figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $9.7B and $6.3B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.1B and $737.5M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.