Illinois vs Wisconsin on USAspending: $15.9B vs $10.0B

Illinois’s $15.9B versus Wisconsin’s $10.0B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Illinois’s $15.9B is about 1.6 times Wisconsin’s $10.0B. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Illinois holds the larger all-years total, and that stock lines up with a larger population of 12,710,158 against 5,960,975.

Award counts widen the gap more than dollars do. Illinois has 1,544,633 awards; Wisconsin has 181,419. Illinois’s file is both heavier in dollars and much busier in rows. Wisconsin’s $10.0B on 181,419 actions implies a heavier typical booking than Illinois’s $15.9B spread across 1,544,633 records.

Wisconsin’s $407.20 per capita versus Illinois’s $143.78

Illinois’s 12,710,158 residents more than double Wisconsin’s 5,960,975. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Wisconsin shows $407.20 per capita and Illinois shows $143.78. Intensity runs the opposite direction from the $15.9B versus $10.0B ranking. Wisconsin is about 2.8 times as intensive per resident.

A $407.20 per-person reading in Wisconsin on 5,960,975 residents is an intensity fact attached to a $10.0B stock. Illinois’s $143.78 on 12,710,158 residents is attached to $15.9B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Neighboring Great Lakes states can show very different intensity.

Miscellaneous manufacturing in Illinois, health insurers in Wisconsin

Illinois’s top industry is all other miscellaneous manufacturing. Wisconsin’s is direct health and medical insurance carriers. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. A catch-all manufacturing grouping and an insurance-carrier grouping are different lead products sitting on $15.9B and $10.0B.

A miscellaneous-manufacturing lead inside Illinois’s 1,544,633-award file can sit among many smaller actions. A health-insurance lead can concentrate large medical-coverage actions inside Wisconsin’s 181,419-award file. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: Wisconsin’s $2.4B leads Illinois’s $1.8B

FY2026 obligations are $1.8B in Illinois and $2.4B in Wisconsin. The latest year reverses the stacked ranking. Wisconsin’s $2.4B is a large slice of its $10.0B 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 Wisconsin’s 181,419 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 $2.4B versus $1.8B latest-year reading is a commitment scoreboard, not a cash-flow statement.

Stock in Illinois, intensity and recency in Wisconsin

Illinois leads stacked dollars ($15.9B vs $10.0B), award count (1,544,633 vs 181,419), and population (12,710,158 vs 5,960,975). Wisconsin leads per capita ($407.20 vs $143.78) and FY2026 ($2.4B vs $1.8B). Those splits are why Illinois versus Wisconsin cannot be reduced to a neighboring-state size contest.

All other miscellaneous manufacturing versus direct health and medical insurance carriers is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Illinois and Wisconsin hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $15.9B and $10.0B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Illinois and Wisconsin hubs

Illinois’s $15.9B and 1,544,633 awards versus Wisconsin’s $10.0B and 181,419 awards is a Great Lakes pair with inverted intensity and recency. Wisconsin’s $407.20 versus Illinois’s $143.78 and FY2026’s $2.4B versus $1.8B both favor the smaller stock. Open the Illinois hub and the Wisconsin hub for agencies and recipients. All other miscellaneous manufacturing versus direct health and medical insurance carriers is mix, not a census.

Census counts of 12,710,158 and 5,960,975 support the per-capita comparison. These are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Do not divide FY2026 amounts 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 $15.9B and $10.0B labeled as obligations so stock and intensity stay separate questions.

Illinois versus Wisconsin is neighboring Great Lakes files with inverted intensity and recency: $15.9B versus $10.0B, then $143.78 versus $407.20, then $1.8B versus $2.4B in FY2026. All other miscellaneous manufacturing and direct health and medical insurance carriers sit on 1,544,633 and 181,419 awards. Census counts are 12,710,158 and 5,960,975. Obligations remain the unit. The Illinois and Wisconsin hubs hold the next tables. Wisconsin’s $407.20 on 5,960,975 residents and $2.4B in FY2026 invert Illinois’s $15.9B stock. Direct health and medical insurance carriers versus all other miscellaneous manufacturing remains mix on 181,419 and 1,544,633 awards.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Illinois or Wisconsin?

Illinois leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $15.9B versus Wisconsin’s $10.0B. Illinois has far more awards (1,544,633 vs 181,419) and more people (12,710,158 vs 5,960,975). Spending per capita is $143.78 in Illinois and $407.20 in Wisconsin. FY2026 obligations are $1.8B in Illinois and $2.4B in Wisconsin. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

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

Wisconsin’s $10.0B on 5,960,975 residents produces $407.20 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 181,419). FY2026 favors Wisconsin ($2.4B vs $1.8B). Intensity and stock are different rankings in this pair.

What industries lead Illinois and Wisconsin federal awards?

Illinois’s top industry is all other miscellaneous manufacturing. Wisconsin’s is direct health and medical insurance carriers. Those slices sit on $15.9B and $10.0B 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 181,419 in Wisconsin.

Are Illinois vs Wisconsin figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $15.9B and $10.0B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.8B and $2.4B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.