Michigan vs New Jersey on USAspending: $8.4B vs $8.1B

Nearly matched stocks: $8.4B versus $8.1B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Michigan’s $8.4B edges New Jersey’s $8.1B by a thin margin. The comparison scores place of performance in the award file. Among two large states with similar Census counts, the stacked ranking is close enough that other cuts — rows, intensity, recency — do more work than the dollar lead.

Award counts run strongly toward New Jersey. New Jersey has 1,162,765 awards; Michigan has 416,538. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows on a dollar stock that is only modestly smaller. Michigan’s $8.4B on 416,538 actions implies a heavier typical booking than New Jersey’s $8.1B spread across 1,162,765 records.

Michigan’s $175.18 versus New Jersey’s $92.49

Michigan’s 10,140,459 residents and New Jersey’s 9,500,851 residents sit in the same band. After dividing the obligation stocks by those Census counts, Michigan shows $175.18 per capita and New Jersey shows $92.49. Intensity favors Michigan by about 1.9 times even though the $8.4B versus $8.1B stocks are nearly matched.

A $175.18 per-person reading in Michigan on 10,140,459 residents is an intensity fact attached to $8.4B. New Jersey’s $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Two similar populations and two similar stocks can still hide a wide row-count gap.

Automobiles in Michigan, pharmaceuticals in New Jersey

Michigan’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. New Jersey’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. Auto-manufacturing awards and drug-manufacturing awards are different lead products sitting on $8.4B and $8.1B.

An automobile-manufacturing lead can concentrate vehicle production inside Michigan’s 416,538-award file. A pharmaceutical-preparation lead inside New Jersey’s 1,162,765-award file can sit among many smaller actions. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: $1.8B in Michigan vs $878.7M in New Jersey

FY2026 obligations are $1.8B in Michigan and $878.7M in New Jersey. Michigan’s latest year remains well ahead, widening a stacked ranking that is otherwise close. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The stacked totals remain the full USAspending.gov aggregate this comparison uses. Both years are obligations, not outlays.

Do not divide those FY figures by Michigan’s 416,538 or New Jersey’s 1,162,765 all-years awards. Per capita of $175.18 on 10,140,459 residents versus $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents is the intensity comparison. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

Matched stocks, inverted rows

Michigan leads stacked dollars ($8.4B vs $8.1B), population (10,140,459 vs 9,500,851), per capita ($175.18 vs $92.49), and FY2026 ($1.8B vs $878.7M). New Jersey leads award count (1,162,765 vs 416,538). That row inversion on nearly matched dollars is the distinctive fact in this pair.

Automobile manufacturing versus pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the Michigan and New Jersey hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $8.4B and $8.1B labeled as obligations.

How to use the Michigan and New Jersey hubs

Michigan’s $8.4B versus New Jersey’s $8.1B sits on similar Census counts of 10,140,459 and 9,500,851. New Jersey’s 1,162,765 awards versus Michigan’s 416,538 is the row inversion. Per capita of $175.18 versus $92.49 and FY2026 of $1.8B versus $878.7M favor Michigan. Open the Michigan hub and the New Jersey hub for agencies and recipients. Automobile manufacturing versus pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing is mix.

These are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. Do not divide latest-year dollars 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 $8.4B and $8.1B labeled as obligations so a close stock is not mistaken for similar row counts. Typical booking is heavier in Michigan on this pair.

Michigan versus New Jersey is a near match on stock of $8.4B versus $8.1B with inverted rows of 416,538 awards versus 1,162,765. Automobile manufacturing and pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing are lead slices. FY2026 of $1.8B versus $878.7M favors Michigan. Per capita is $175.18 versus $92.49 on 10,140,459 and 9,500,851 residents. Obligations remain the unit. The Michigan and New Jersey hubs hold the next tables. Michigan’s $8.4B versus New Jersey’s $8.1B sits on 10,140,459 and 9,500,851 residents. New Jersey’s 1,162,765 awards versus 416,538 is the row inversion. FY2026’s $1.8B versus $878.7M and $175.18 versus $92.49 per capita follow Michigan. Automobiles versus pharmaceuticals is mix.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, Michigan or New Jersey?

Michigan leads slightly in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8.4B versus New Jersey’s $8.1B. New Jersey has far more awards (1,162,765 vs 416,538). Populations are 10,140,459 in Michigan and 9,500,851 in New Jersey. Spending per capita is $175.18 in Michigan and $92.49 in New Jersey. FY2026 obligations are $1.8B and $878.7M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does New Jersey have more federal awards than Michigan but fewer dollars?

New Jersey logs 1,162,765 awards on $8.1B. Michigan logs 416,538 awards on $8.4B. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows and lighter in dollars, which implies a smaller typical booking. Populations are close (9,500,851 vs 10,140,459). Per capita is $92.49 versus $175.18. FY2026 favors Michigan ($1.8B vs $878.7M).

What industries lead Michigan and New Jersey federal awards?

Michigan’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. New Jersey’s is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Those slices sit on $8.4B and $8.1B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 416,538 in Michigan and 1,162,765 in New Jersey.

Are Michigan vs New Jersey figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.4B and $8.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.8B and $878.7M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.