Iowa vs Minnesota on USAspending: $3.84B vs $2.74B

Fewer people, a larger obligation stock

Iowa’s $3.84B is the larger stacked total. Minnesota’s $2.74B sits on a bigger Census count: 5,793,151 versus 3,241,488. The per-person reading therefore flips. Iowa’s $127.17 per capita is nearly double Minnesota’s $66.07. Headcount does not set the dollar ranking on this pair.

Award volume runs the other way. Minnesota records 98,897 awards; Iowa records 48,706. Minnesota’s file is denser in rows on a smaller stock. Iowa’s 48,706 actions sit on $3.84B. Average size is not in the packet; the row counts are.

FY2026 keeps Iowa ahead on recency as well: $412.2M versus $382.8M. That latest-year cut is a slice of the same obligation series, not Treasury cash. Cite USAspending.gov for both the stacked stocks and the FY2026 amounts.

Wireless equipment versus pharmacy benefit administration

Iowa’s lead NAICS is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. Minnesota’s lead NAICS is pharmacy benefit management and other third party administration of insurance and pension funds. Those labels are the largest industry slices on $3.84B and $2.74B. They are not the full mix.

The 48,706 Iowa awards and 98,897 Minnesota awards include many actions outside those peaks. Use the Iowa and Minnesota state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes, not outlay mixes.

FY2026: $412.2M in Iowa, $382.8M in Minnesota

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $412.2M in Iowa and $382.8M in Minnesota. Recency preserves Iowa’s stacked dollar lead without a large gap. Treat the year as a recency slice of obligations. Do not treat it as cash paid.

Do not divide $412.2M or $382.8M by the all-years award counts of 48,706 and 98,897. Spending per capita of $127.17 and $66.07 already sits beside Census counts of 3,241,488 and 5,793,151 in the packet.

Minnesota’s extra 2.6 million residents

Minnesota’s 5,793,151 residents exceed Iowa’s 3,241,488 by a wide margin. Iowa still leads on $3.84B versus $2.74B. The per-person ranking belongs to Iowa at $127.17 versus $66.07. Award volume of 98,897 versus 48,706 is Minnesota’s win on rows.

Keep those per-capita figures labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations. They are not outlays per resident. The comparison hub holds the side-by-side tables.

Obligations on the books, not cash out the door

USAspending.gov records obligations when an agency commits funds. Iowa’s $3.84B and Minnesota’s $2.74B are those commitments, stacked across years in the packet. They are not Treasury outlays. Cash can lag a contract or grant by months. FY2026 amounts of $412.2M and $382.8M are the same series, sliced to the latest fiscal year.

Spending per capita of $127.17 and $66.07 uses Census counts of 3,241,488 and 5,793,151 where present. Those ratios sit on the obligation stocks. They are not outlays per resident and they are not a forecast. Award counts of 48,706 and 98,897 are row totals in the same obligation file.

Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing in Iowa and pharmacy benefit management and other third party administration of insurance and pension funds in Minnesota are the largest NAICS labels on those stocks. They do not convert the series into outlays. Read the comparison hub for the tables.

Minnesota’s 98,897 awards on $2.74B mean more actions, not a larger commitment. Iowa’s 48,706 awards on $3.84B mean fewer actions on a larger stock. The packet does not publish average award size. Do not invent one by dividing dollars by rows.

FY2026 of $412.2M versus $382.8M is the recency check. Iowa still leads that slice. Minnesota’s 5,793,151 residents remain the larger Census count. The ranking that flips is intensity: $127.17 versus $66.07. All dollar cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

How to read Iowa versus Minnesota

Read Iowa first on stacked dollars ($3.84B vs $2.74B), spending per capita ($127.17 vs $66.07), and FY2026 ($412.2M vs $382.8M). Read Minnesota first on Census count (5,793,151 vs 3,241,488) and awards (98,897 vs 48,706). Note wireless equipment versus pharmacy benefit management.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Iowa and Minnesota hubs hold agencies and recipients. Outlays are a different series and are not in this packet.

Questions

Does Iowa or Minnesota have more federal spending?

Iowa leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.84B to Minnesota’s $2.74B. Iowa also leads spending per capita, $127.17 versus $66.07, on 3,241,488 residents against Minnesota’s 5,793,151. Minnesota has more awards (98,897 vs 48,706). FY2026 obligations are $412.2M in Iowa and $382.8M in Minnesota.

Why is Iowa’s per-capita figure higher than Minnesota’s?

The packet reports $127.17 per capita in Iowa on 3,241,488 residents and $66.07 in Minnesota on 5,793,151. Stacked stocks are $3.84B versus $2.74B. Award counts are 48,706 versus 98,897. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in Iowa and Minnesota?

Iowa’s top industry is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. Minnesota’s is pharmacy benefit management and other third party administration of insurance and pension funds. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $3.84B and $2.74B. Award counts are 48,706 in Iowa and 98,897 in Minnesota.

Are Iowa vs Minnesota figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $3.84B and $2.74B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $412.2M and $382.8M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($127.17 vs $66.07) uses Census population where present.