Does Kentucky or South Carolina have more federal spending?

South Carolina leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.85B to Kentucky’s $3.82B — a near-tie. Kentucky leads spending per capita, $142.10 versus $83.98, on 4,588,372 residents against South Carolina’s 5,478,831. Award counts are close (140,157 vs 129,440). FY2026 obligations are $652.0M in Kentucky and $460.1M in South Carolina.

Why is Kentucky’s per-capita figure higher?

The packet reports $142.10 per capita in Kentucky on 4,588,372 residents and $83.98 in South Carolina on 5,478,831. Stacked stocks are close ($3.82B vs $3.85B). Award counts are 140,157 versus 129,440. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in Kentucky and South Carolina?

Kentucky’s top industry is couriers and express delivery services. South Carolina’s is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $3.82B and $3.85B. Award counts are 140,157 in Kentucky and 129,440 in South Carolina.

Are Kentucky vs South Carolina figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $3.82B and $3.85B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $652.0M and $460.1M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($142.10 vs $83.98) uses Census population where present.

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Kentucky vs South Carolina on USAspending: $3.82B vs $3.85B

South Carolina accounts for $3.85B in USAspending.gov obligations; Kentucky accounts for $3.82B. The stacked stocks are a near-tie. Award counts are also close by this batch’s standards: 140,157 in Kentucky and 129,440 in South Carolina. Census counts are 4,588,372 and 5,478,831. Spending per capita favors Kentucky, $142.10 versus $83.98. FY2026 dollars also favor Kentucky, $652.0M versus $460.1M. Kentucky’s top industry is couriers and express delivery services; South Carolina’s is biological product manufacturing. The figures are obligations, not outlays.

Key figures

South Carolina $3.85B vs Kentucky $3.82B in stacked USAspending obligations — a near-tie.
Kentucky per capita $142.10 vs South Carolina $83.98 on 4,588,372 vs 5,478,831 residents.
Awards: 140,157 vs 129,440; FY2026 $652.0M vs $460.1M.
Top industries: couriers in Kentucky; biological products in South Carolina.
Figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Two busy Southern files on the same dollar shelf

South Carolina’s $3.85B is about 1.01 times Kentucky’s $3.82B. Population favors South Carolina, 5,478,831 versus 4,588,372. Award counts favor Kentucky slightly, 140,157 versus 129,440. Both files are loud in rows. Intensity is the ranking that separates them: $142.10 in Kentucky versus $83.98 in South Carolina, packet figures beside those Census counts.

Courier and express work in Kentucky and biological-product manufacturing in South Carolina can both generate many actions. The stacked stocks still refuse to separate. $3.82B and $3.85B are the same shelf.

FY2026 then hands Kentucky a clearer dollar lead, $652.0M versus $460.1M, in line with the intensity ranking rather than the stacked hair-split. Kentucky’s 140,157 awards and South Carolina’s 129,440 awards are two loud files on $3.82B versus $3.85B; $142.10 versus $83.98 and $652.0M versus $460.1M are the rankings that actually separate them.

Couriers versus biological products

Kentucky’s lead NAICS is couriers and express delivery services. South Carolina’s lead NAICS is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing. Those peaks sit on $3.82B and $3.85B. Two high-row files can still peak in different codes.

The 140,157 Kentucky awards and 129,440 South Carolina awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the Kentucky and South Carolina state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes.

FY2026: Kentucky’s $652.0M versus South Carolina’s $460.1M

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $652.0M in Kentucky and $460.1M in South Carolina. Recency is the cut that opens up after a stacked near-tie. Treat the year as a recency slice of obligations, not as Treasury cash.

Do not divide $652.0M or $460.1M by 140,157 or 129,440 all-years awards. Spending per capita of $142.10 and $83.98 already sits beside Census counts of 4,588,372 and 5,478,831 in the packet.

South Carolina’s extra people, Kentucky’s extra intensity

5,478,831 versus 4,588,372 is a moderate population gap. $3.85B versus $3.82B does not follow it. $83.98 versus $142.10 is the intensity consequence. Award volume of 129,440 versus 140,157 stays in the same band — two busy files, not one busy file and one thin one.

Keep those per-capita figures labeled as Census-based packet figures on USAspending.gov obligations. They are not outlays per resident.

How to read Kentucky versus South Carolina

Read the stacked stocks as a near-tie ($3.82B vs $3.85B) and the award counts as close (140,157 vs 129,440). Read Kentucky first on intensity ($142.10 vs $83.98) and on FY2026 ($652.0M vs $460.1M). Read South Carolina first on population (5,478,831 vs 4,588,372). Note couriers versus biological products. All cuts are obligations.

The comparison hub holds the tables. The Kentucky and South Carolina hubs hold agencies and recipients. Outlays are a different series.

Two busy files on the same dollar shelf

Kentucky’s $3.82B and South Carolina’s $3.85B are USAspending.gov obligations. Award counts of 140,157 and 129,440 show both files are busy. Couriers and express delivery services versus biological product manufacturing is the industry split. FY2026’s $652.0M versus $460.1M is the recency ranking Kentucky wins after a stacked near-tie.

Spending per capita of $142.10 and $83.98 sits beside Census counts of 4,588,372 and 5,478,831. Use the Kentucky and South Carolina hubs for agencies and recipients. The comparison hub holds the paired tables. Treat every figure as an obligation, not an outlay.

Kentucky’s 140,157 awards and South Carolina’s 129,440 awards are two busy files on $3.82B and $3.85B. FY2026 of $652.0M versus $460.1M goes to Kentucky. Per capita of $142.10 versus $83.98 also goes to Kentucky. Couriers versus biological products is mix. Census counts of 4,588,372 and 5,478,831 sit beside those packet ratios.

Questions

Does Kentucky or South Carolina have more federal spending?: South Carolina leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $3.85B to Kentucky’s $3.82B — a near-tie. Kentucky leads spending per capita, $142.10 versus $83.98, on 4,588,372 residents against South Carolina’s 5,478,831. Award counts are close (140,157 vs 129,440). FY2026 obligations are $652.0M in Kentucky and $460.1M in South Carolina.
Why is Kentucky’s per-capita figure higher?: The packet reports $142.10 per capita in Kentucky on 4,588,372 residents and $83.98 in South Carolina on 5,478,831. Stacked stocks are close ($3.82B vs $3.85B). Award counts are 140,157 versus 129,440. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.
What industries lead in Kentucky and South Carolina?: Kentucky’s top industry is couriers and express delivery services. South Carolina’s is biological product (except diagnostic) manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $3.82B and $3.85B. Award counts are 140,157 in Kentucky and 129,440 in South Carolina.
Are Kentucky vs South Carolina figures Treasury outlays?: No. The $3.82B and $3.85B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $652.0M and $460.1M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($142.10 vs $83.98) uses Census population where present.

State comparison from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending obligations. Per-capita uses Census population where present.