North Carolina vs Utah on USAspending: $6.34B vs $4.06B

A modest dollar lead on an enormous award-count gap

North Carolina’s $6.34B is about 1.56 times Utah’s $4.06B. Population is about 3.15 times: 11,046,024 versus 3,503,613. People outrun dollars, which is why Utah’s $199.06 per capita beats North Carolina’s $66.77. The mountain-west file is smaller on stock and denser per resident.

Award counts stretch the contrast further. 429,746 versus 26,509 is about 16.2 times as many rows on only 1.56 times the dollars. North Carolina’s file is thick with actions. Utah’s 26,509 awards on $4.06B are sparse by comparison and still map to more obligation per Census resident.

FY2026 is the ranking that almost ties. $737.5M versus $697.4M keeps a slim North Carolina dollar lead on the latest year, unlike pairs where recency flips the stock ranking.

Pharmaceutical preparations versus nonferrous metal work

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Utah’s top industry is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. Those NAICS peaks sit on $6.34B and $4.06B. A pharma lead is a first filter on the Carolina mix; a metal-rolling lead is a first filter on the Utah mix.

The 429,746 North Carolina awards and 26,509 Utah awards include many actions outside those labels. Use the North Carolina and Utah state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation slices.

FY2026 stays close: $737.5M vs $697.4M

Fiscal year 2026 obligations are $737.5M in North Carolina and $697.4M in Utah. Recency preserves North Carolina’s stacked dollar lead, but the gap shrinks. Treat the year as a recency slice of obligations, not as a closed Treasury total and not as cash paid.

Do not divide $737.5M or $697.4M by 429,746 or 26,509 all-years awards. Per capita of $66.77 and $199.06 already uses 11,046,024 and 3,503,613 residents against the stacked stocks.

Eleven million people and a $66.77 ratio

North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents dwarf Utah’s 3,503,613, and $6.34B beats $4.06B on stock. The per-person ranking still belongs to Utah at $199.06 versus $66.77. Headcount is not intensity. Award volume of 429,746 versus 26,509 is a count of actions, not a count of residents who received federal dollars.

Keep both per-capita figures labeled as stacked USAspending.gov obligations divided by Census counts. They are not outlays per resident.

How to read North Carolina versus Utah

Read North Carolina first on stock ($6.34B, 429,746 awards, 11,046,024 people) and on a slim FY2026 lead ($737.5M vs $697.4M). Read Utah first on intensity ($199.06 vs $66.77). Note pharmaceutical preparations versus nonferrous metal rolling. All of those cuts are obligations.

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

A 16-to-1 award gap is still an obligation gap

North Carolina’s $6.34B and Utah’s $4.06B are USAspending.gov obligations. Award counts of 429,746 and 26,509 are the loudest contrast in the pair. Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus nonferrous metal rolling is the industry split. FY2026’s $737.5M versus $697.4M is a slim recency lead for North Carolina, not a Treasury payment ranking.

Spending per capita of $66.77 and $199.06 sits beside Census counts of 11,046,024 and 3,503,613. The comparison hub holds the side-by-side tables. The North Carolina and Utah hubs hold agencies and recipients. Do not convert any of these cuts into outlays.

North Carolina’s 429,746 awards on $6.34B dwarf Utah’s 26,509 awards on $4.06B. FY2026 of $737.5M versus $697.4M stays close. Per capita of $66.77 versus $199.06 does not. Pharma versus nonferrous metal rolling is mix. Census counts of 11,046,024 and 3,503,613 sit beside those packet ratios. Treat every figure as an obligation.

Questions

Does North Carolina or Utah have more federal spending?

North Carolina leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $6.34B to Utah’s $4.06B. Utah leads spending per capita, $199.06 versus $66.77, on 3,503,613 residents against North Carolina’s 11,046,024. North Carolina has far more awards (429,746 vs 26,509). FY2026 obligations are $737.5M in North Carolina and $697.4M in Utah.

Why is Utah’s per-capita federal spending higher?

The packet reports $199.06 per capita in Utah on 3,503,613 residents and $66.77 in North Carolina on 11,046,024. North Carolina has more people and far more awards (429,746 vs 26,509). Stacked obligations are $6.34B versus $4.06B. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

What industries lead in North Carolina and Utah?

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Utah’s is nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) rolling, drawing, and extruding. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $6.34B and $4.06B. Award counts are 429,746 in North Carolina and 26,509 in Utah.

Are North Carolina vs Utah figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $6.34B and $4.06B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $737.5M and $697.4M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($66.77 vs $199.06) uses Census population against those obligations.