Illinois vs Massachusetts on USAspending: $15.9B vs $13.5B

Illinois’s $15.9B edges Massachusetts’s $13.5B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Illinois’s $15.9B is about 1.2 times Massachusetts’s $13.5B. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Illinois holds the larger all-years total, but the gap is modest next to the gap in rows and the gap in intensity.

Award counts are not close. Illinois has 1,544,633 awards; Massachusetts has 294,824. Illinois’s file is busier in rows on a dollar stock that is only modestly larger. Massachusetts’s $13.5B on 294,824 actions implies a heavier typical booking than Illinois’s $15.9B spread across 1,544,633 records.

Massachusetts’s $364.70 per capita versus Illinois’s $143.78

Illinois’s 12,710,158 residents exceed Massachusetts’s 7,136,171. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Massachusetts shows $364.70 per capita and Illinois shows $143.78. Intensity runs the opposite direction from the $15.9B versus $13.5B ranking. Massachusetts is about 2.5 times as intensive per resident.

A $364.70 per-person reading in Massachusetts on 7,136,171 residents is an intensity fact attached to a $13.5B stock. Illinois’s $143.78 on 12,710,158 residents is attached to $15.9B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. The per-capita lead does not rewrite the stacked ranking.

Miscellaneous manufacturing in Illinois, aircraft engines in Massachusetts

Illinois’s top industry is all other miscellaneous manufacturing. Massachusetts’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. A catch-all manufacturing grouping and an engine-parts grouping are different lead products sitting on $15.9B and $13.5B.

A miscellaneous-manufacturing lead inside Illinois’s 1,544,633-award file can sit among many smaller actions. An aircraft-engine lead can concentrate propulsion manufacturing inside Massachusetts’s 294,824-award file. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: Massachusetts’s $2.6B leads Illinois’s $1.8B

FY2026 obligations are $1.8B in Illinois and $2.6B in Massachusetts. The latest year reverses the stacked ranking. Massachusetts’s $2.6B is a large slice of its $13.5B stock; Illinois’s $1.8B is a smaller slice of $15.9B. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The all-years totals remain the comparison’s headline stock.

Do not divide those FY figures by Illinois’s 1,544,633 or Massachusetts’s 294,824 all-years awards. Those row counts cover the stacked file, not a single fiscal year. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays can lag award dates, so a $2.6B versus $1.8B latest-year reading is a commitment scoreboard, not a cash-flow statement.

Close stocks, inverted intensity and recency

Illinois leads stacked dollars ($15.9B vs $13.5B), award count (1,544,633 vs 294,824), and population (12,710,158 vs 7,136,171). Massachusetts leads per capita ($364.70 vs $143.78) and FY2026 ($2.6B vs $1.8B). Those splits are why Illinois versus Massachusetts cannot be reduced to a modest $2.4B stock gap.

All other miscellaneous manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Illinois and Massachusetts hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $15.9B and $13.5B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Illinois and Massachusetts hubs

Illinois’s 1,544,633 awards on $15.9B versus Massachusetts’s 294,824 awards on $13.5B is a close-stock pair with a wide row gap. Per capita of $143.78 versus $364.70 is the intensity inversion. FY2026’s $1.8B versus $2.6B is the recency inversion. Open the Illinois hub and the Massachusetts hub for agencies and recipients. All other miscellaneous manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix, not a census.

Census counts of 12,710,158 and 7,136,171 support the intensity cut. These are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Do not divide latest-year dollars by all-years award counts. Place of performance can differ from the paying agency’s location. Use the hubs when the next question is who received the awards. Keep $15.9B and $13.5B labeled as obligations.

Illinois versus Massachusetts is a close stock of $15.9B versus $13.5B with 1,544,633 awards versus 294,824. All other miscellaneous manufacturing and aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing are lead slices. FY2026 of $1.8B versus $2.6B is the recency inversion. Per capita of $143.78 versus $364.70 on 12,710,158 and 7,136,171 residents is the intensity inversion. Obligations are not outlays. The Illinois and Massachusetts hubs hold agencies and recipients. Illinois’s 1,544,633 awards make the $15.9B stock look busy; Massachusetts’s 294,824 awards make the $13.5B stock look heavier per action. FY2026’s $2.6B in Massachusetts is recency, not a stacked rewrite.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Illinois or Massachusetts?

Illinois leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $15.9B versus Massachusetts’s $13.5B. Illinois has far more awards (1,544,633 vs 294,824) and more people (12,710,158 vs 7,136,171). Spending per capita is $143.78 in Illinois and $364.70 in Massachusetts. FY2026 obligations are $1.8B in Illinois and $2.6B in Massachusetts. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why is Massachusetts’s per-capita federal spending higher than Illinois’s?

Massachusetts’s $13.5B on 7,136,171 residents produces $364.70 per capita. Illinois’s $15.9B on 12,710,158 residents produces $143.78. Illinois still leads the stacked file and the award count (1,544,633 vs 294,824). FY2026 favors Massachusetts ($2.6B vs $1.8B). Intensity and stock are different rankings in this pair.

What industries lead Illinois and Massachusetts federal awards?

Illinois’s top industry is all other miscellaneous manufacturing. Massachusetts’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those slices sit on $15.9B and $13.5B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 1,544,633 in Illinois and 294,824 in Massachusetts.

Are Illinois vs Massachusetts figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $15.9B and $13.5B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.8B and $2.6B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.