North Carolina vs Ohio on USAspending: $6.3B vs $8.1B

Two large states, one much busier file

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Ohio’s $8.1B stock sits $1.8 billion above North Carolina’s $6.3B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Populations of 11,883,304 and 11,046,024 put both states in the same size band. The comparison is not a giant-versus-small contest on people.

Award counts break the resemblance. North Carolina’s 429,746 actions exceed Ohio’s 168,038 by more than 2.5 times. North Carolina’s $6.3B is spread across more records. Ohio’s $8.1B sits on a thinner file, which implies a heavier typical booking. Dollars favor Ohio; paperwork volume favors North Carolina.

North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents and Ohio’s 11,883,304 residents look like peers. Award rows of 429,746 versus 168,038 do not. Stacked dollars of $6,340,179,185 versus $8,141,450,027 still favor Ohio. Per capita of $66.77 versus $61.66 is close. FY2026 of $737,511,771 versus $732,683,316 is a photo finish that should not be read as a stacked tie. Pharmaceuticals versus aircraft engines is mix.

Close intensity: $66.77 versus $61.66

North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents against $6.3B produce $66.77 per capita. Ohio’s 11,883,304 residents against $8.1B produce $61.66. Intensity favors North Carolina by about $5 per person even though Ohio holds the larger stacked total. This pair is not a high-versus-low intensity contest.

A $66.77 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $6.3B. Ohio’s $61.66 is attached to $8.1B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar people and similar intensity can still hide a 2.5-to-1 row gap and a $1.8 billion stacked gap.

Pharmaceuticals in North Carolina, aircraft engines in Ohio

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Ohio’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those NAICS labels mark the largest grouping in each state’s file. Drug-manufacturing awards and engine-parts awards are different lead products sitting on $6.3B and $8.1B stocks.

A pharmaceutical-preparation lead inside North Carolina’s 429,746-award file can sit among many smaller actions. An aircraft-engine lead inside Ohio’s 168,038-award file can concentrate propulsion manufacturing without making Ohio a single-product state. Mix and scale both differ. Neither label is the entire stock.

FY2026 photo finish: $737.5M vs $732.7M

FY2026 obligations are $737,511,771 in North Carolina and $732,683,316 in Ohio. North Carolina is slightly ahead in the latest year, reversing a stacked ranking that favors Ohio by $1.8 billion. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $6.3B and $8.1B totals remain the full USAspending.gov aggregate this comparison uses. Both years are obligations, not outlays.

Do not divide those FY figures by North Carolina’s 429,746 or Ohio’s 168,038 all-years awards. Per capita of $66.77 on 11,046,024 residents versus $61.66 on 11,883,304 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 is the cut that is effectively tied. Stacked totals still favor Ohio.

North Carolina’s $737,511,771 FY2026 versus Ohio’s $732,683,316 is a recency photo finish on stocks of $6,340,179,185 versus $8,141,450,027. 429,746 awards versus 168,038 awards remain the paperwork split. 11,046,024 residents versus 11,883,304 residents produce $66.77 versus $61.66. Do not read a $5 million latest-year gap as a stacked tie.

Ohio’s stock, North Carolina’s rows

Ohio leads stacked dollars ($8.1B vs $6.3B) and population (11,883,304 vs 11,046,024). North Carolina leads award count (429,746 vs 168,038), per capita by a thin margin ($66.77 vs $61.66), and FY2026 by a thin margin ($737.5M vs $732.7M). Those splits are why this pair cannot be reduced to two similar large-state files.

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the North Carolina and Ohio hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep both stocks labeled as USAspending.gov obligations.

Two large states with a recency photo finish

North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents and Ohio’s 11,883,304 residents look like a peer pair. The files are not peers on rows (429,746 vs 168,038) or on stacked dollars ($6,340,179,185 vs $8,141,450,027). Per capita of $66.77 versus $61.66 is close. FY2026 of $737,511,771 versus $732,683,316 is a photo finish that should not be read as a stacked tie.

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing is mix. Readers who want agencies or recipients should use the state hubs. Both the $6.3B and $8.1B stocks, and both FY2026 amounts, are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, North Carolina or Ohio?

Ohio leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,141,450,027 versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185. North Carolina has more awards (429,746 vs 168,038). Populations are close (11,046,024 vs 11,883,304). Spending per capita is $66.77 in North Carolina and $61.66 in Ohio. FY2026 obligations are $737.5M and $732.7M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Is North Carolina vs Ohio tied in FY2026?

Almost. FY2026 obligations are $737,511,771 in North Carolina and $732,683,316 in Ohio. North Carolina is slightly ahead in the latest year. The stacked ranking still favors Ohio ($8.1B vs $6.3B). Award counts are 429,746 versus 168,038. Per capita is $66.77 versus $61.66.

What industries lead North Carolina and Ohio federal awards?

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Ohio’s is aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. Those slices sit on $6.3B and $8.1B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 429,746 in North Carolina and 168,038 in Ohio.

Are North Carolina vs Ohio figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $6.3B and $8.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $737.5M and $732.7M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.