Iowa vs Mississippi on USAspending: $3.84B vs $2.88B

Similar Census counts, a $960 million stock gap

Iowa’s $3.84B stacked total is about 1.33 times Mississippi’s $2.88B. Populations sit near each other: 3,241,488 versus 2,943,045, about 1.10 times. Intensity stays bunched with the stocks: $127.17 per capita in Iowa and $115.31 in Mississippi. When headcount is similar, the dollar gap shows up as a modest per-capita gap rather than a chasm. Those ratios are packet figures of USAspending.gov obligations beside Census population, not outlays per resident.

The award column is not bunched. Mississippi’s 233,003 awards are about 4.8 times Iowa’s 48,706. A shipyard-heavy peak can fill a long action list on a smaller $2.88B stock. Iowa’s $3.84B sits on far fewer rows. Dollars and rows point opposite directions.

Keep $3.84B and $2.88B labeled as obligations. This pair is a Midwest-to-Gulf comparison on that definition only.

Wireless equipment manufacturing versus ship building

Iowa’s lead NAICS is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. Mississippi’s lead NAICS is ship building and repairing. Hardware manufacturing is Iowa’s peak on $3.84B and 48,706 awards. Shipyard work is Mississippi’s peak on $2.88B and 233,003 awards. Those labels help explain the row inversion; they do not exhaust either mix.

The Iowa and Mississippi state hubs list agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes, not outlay mixes.

FY2026: $412.2M in Iowa, $339.4M in Mississippi

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $412.2M in Iowa and $339.4M in Mississippi. Recency follows the stacked ranking. $412.2M is about 1.21 times $339.4M, a slightly narrower relative gap than the all-years $3.84B versus $2.88B. The latest year does not reverse Iowa’s dollar lead.

Read FY2026 as an obligation year slice. Do not divide $412.2M or $339.4M by 48,706 or 233,003 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $127.17 and $115.31 already uses Census counts of 3,241,488 and 2,943,045.

Four times the awards, still the smaller stock

Mississippi’s 233,003 awards versus Iowa’s 48,706 is the headline inversion. Iowa still leads on stacked dollars ($3.84B vs $2.88B), per capita ($127.17 vs $115.31), population (3,241,488 vs 2,943,045), and FY2026 ($412.2M vs $339.4M). Award volume is the one column Mississippi takes, and it takes it by a wide margin.

A searcher who ranks states by action count will put Mississippi first. A searcher who ranks by obligation stock will put Iowa first. The packet reports both so those rankings stay visible.

Iowa and Mississippi are close on people (3,241,488 vs 2,943,045) and not close on awards (48,706 vs 233,003). The dollar ranking follows Iowa, $3.84B versus $2.88B, and so does spending per capita, $127.17 versus $115.31, and so does FY2026, $412.2M versus $339.4M. Wireless communications equipment manufacturing versus ship building and repairing is why the row counts diverge so far from the dollar counts. A searcher ranking by actions will put Mississippi first. A searcher ranking by obligation stock will put Iowa first. Both rankings use USAspending.gov obligations.

How to read Iowa versus Mississippi

Read Iowa first on stacked stock ($3.84B vs $2.88B), spending per capita ($127.17 vs $115.31), population (3,241,488 vs 2,943,045), and FY2026 ($412.2M vs $339.4M). Read Mississippi first on awards (233,003 vs 48,706). Note wireless equipment manufacturing versus ship building. All cuts are obligations.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Iowa and Mississippi hubs hold state detail. Outlays are not substituted.

Midwest wireless equipment against a Gulf shipyard list

Iowa’s radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing peak on $3.84B and 48,706 awards is a short list relative to Mississippi’s ship building and repairing peak on $2.88B and 233,003 awards. Hardware manufacturing and shipyard repair generate different action counts on stocks that are not far apart in population terms (3,241,488 vs 2,943,045). The packet reports those peaks. It does not report plant locations or payroll.

Spending per capita of $127.17 versus $115.31 stays bunched because the Census counts are close and the stocks are $3.84B versus $2.88B. FY2026 obligations of $412.2M versus $339.4M keep Iowa ahead in the latest year. Keep every figure labeled as USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. The Iowa and Mississippi hubs hold agencies and recipients.

Questions

Does Iowa or Mississippi have more federal spending?

Iowa leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.84B to Mississippi’s $2.88B. Iowa also leads spending per capita, $127.17 versus $115.31, on 3,241,488 residents against Mississippi’s 2,943,045. Mississippi has far more awards (233,003 vs 48,706). FY2026 obligations are $412.2M in Iowa and $339.4M in Mississippi.

Why does Mississippi have so many more awards than Iowa?

Mississippi’s award count is 233,003 against Iowa’s 48,706. Mississippi’s top industry is ship building and repairing. Stacked obligations still favor Iowa, $3.84B to $2.88B. Spending per capita is $115.31 versus $127.17. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Cite only the packet ratios; do not treat them as cash per resident or as a forecast.

What industries lead in Iowa and Mississippi?

Iowa’s top industry is radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. Mississippi’s is ship building and repairing. Those labels sit on $3.84B and $2.88B. Award counts are 48,706 in Iowa and 233,003 in Mississippi. Those NAICS labels are the largest slices on the stacked stocks, not complete industrial profiles.

Are Iowa vs Mississippi figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $3.84B and $2.88B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $412.2M and $339.4M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($127.17 vs $115.31) uses Census population where present. Spending per capita uses Census population where present and should not be read as cash per resident.