North Carolina vs Washington on USAspending: $6.3B vs $7.3B

Washington’s dollars, North Carolina’s rows

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Washington’s $7.3B stock sits $997 million above North Carolina’s $6.3B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. North Carolina has more people (11,046,024 versus 7,958,180) and more awards (429,746 versus 236,821). Washington still holds the larger dollar stock.

North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185 is spread across 429,746 records. Washington’s $7,337,035,583 sits on 236,821. North Carolina’s busier file on a smaller stock implies a lighter typical booking. Dollars favor Washington; paperwork volume favors North Carolina. The $7.3B versus $6.3B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

Washington’s $7,337,035,583 versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185 is the stacked ranking. FY2026 of $584,612,717 versus $737,511,771 is the recency ranking. Award rows of 236,821 versus 429,746 and people of 7,958,180 versus 11,046,024 stay with North Carolina. Per capita of $73.46 versus $66.77 is close. Pharmaceuticals versus building construction is mix. A $997 million stacked lead does not travel to the latest year.

Close intensity: $73.46 versus $66.77

Washington’s 7,958,180 residents against $7.3B produce $73.46 per capita. North Carolina’s 11,046,024 residents against $6.3B produce $66.77. Intensity favors Washington by about $7 per person, in the same direction as the stacked ranking. This pair is not a high-versus-low intensity contest.

A $73.46 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $7.3B. North Carolina’s $66.77 is attached to $6.3B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. Similar intensity can still hide a $997 million stacked gap, a 2-to-1 row gap, and a recency inversion.

Pharmaceuticals in North Carolina, buildings in Washington

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those NAICS labels mark the largest grouping in each state’s file. Drug-manufacturing awards and building awards are different lead products sitting on $6.3B and $7.3B stocks.

A pharmaceutical-preparation lead inside North Carolina’s 429,746-award file can sit among many smaller actions. A construction lead inside Washington’s 236,821-award file can include large facility awards without making Washington a single-product state. Mix differs. Neither label is the entire stock.

FY2026: $737.5M in North Carolina vs $584.6M in Washington

FY2026 obligations are $737,511,771 in North Carolina and $584,612,717 in Washington. North Carolina leads the latest year, reversing a stacked ranking that favors Washington. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $6.3B and $7.3B 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 Washington’s 236,821 all-years awards. Per capita of $66.77 on 11,046,024 residents versus $73.46 on 7,958,180 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 is the cut that favors North Carolina. Stacked totals still favor Washington.

North Carolina’s $737,511,771 FY2026 versus Washington’s $584,612,717 already reverses $6,340,179,185 versus $7,337,035,583. 429,746 awards versus 236,821 awards and 11,046,024 residents versus 7,958,180 residents stay with North Carolina. $66.77 versus $73.46 is close. Recency inverts the stacked ranking. Both years are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

A stacked lead that does not travel to FY2026

Washington leads stacked dollars ($7.3B vs $6.3B) and per capita ($73.46 vs $66.77). North Carolina leads award count (429,746 vs 236,821), population (11,046,024 vs 7,958,180), and FY2026 ($737.5M vs $584.6M). Those counters are why Washington versus North Carolina is not a one-column story.

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus commercial and institutional building construction is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the North Carolina and Washington hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep both stocks labeled as USAspending.gov obligations.

Washington’s stock, North Carolina’s year

Washington’s $7,337,035,583 versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185 is the stacked ranking. FY2026 of $584,612,717 versus $737,511,771 is the recency ranking, and it already favors North Carolina. Award rows of 236,821 versus 429,746 and Census counts of 7,958,180 versus 11,046,024 are the other counters. Per capita of $73.46 versus $66.77 is close.

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus commercial and institutional building construction is mix. Do not average FY2026 into the stacked totals. Both years are USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance. Outlays are a different series and are not in this packet. North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185 and Washington’s $7,337,035,583 remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance.

Questions

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

Washington leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $7,337,035,583 versus North Carolina’s $6,340,179,185. North Carolina has more awards (429,746 vs 236,821) and more people (11,046,024 vs 7,958,180). Spending per capita is $66.77 in North Carolina and $73.46 in Washington. FY2026 obligations are $737.5M and $584.6M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Does North Carolina outpace Washington in FY2026?

Yes. FY2026 obligations are $737,511,771 in North Carolina versus $584,612,717 in Washington. The stacked ranking still favors Washington ($7.3B vs $6.3B). Award counts are 429,746 versus 236,821. Per capita is $66.77 versus $73.46. Populations are 11,046,024 and 7,958,180.

What industries lead North Carolina and Washington federal awards?

North Carolina’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those slices sit on $6.3B and $7.3B 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 236,821 in Washington.

Are North Carolina vs Washington figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $6.3B and $7.3B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $737.5M and $584.6M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.