New Jersey vs Washington on USAspending: $8.1B vs $7.3B

Five times the awards on a similar billion

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. New Jersey’s $8.1B stock sits $747 million above Washington’s $7.3B. Place of performance in the award file is the scoring rule. Both states are large. The comparison is not a small overlay on a giant file. It is two substantial stocks with very different row counts.

New Jersey’s $8,084,032,234 is spread across 1,162,765 records. Washington’s $7,337,035,583 sits on 236,821. That is about five New Jersey awards for each Washington award. Dollars are in the same band; paperwork volume is not. The $8.1B versus $7.3B ranking is a dollar ranking, not a row ranking.

New Jersey’s 1,162,765 awards on $8,084,032,234 versus Washington’s 236,821 awards on $7,337,035,583 is a five-to-one paperwork split on stocks that are only $747 million apart. Per capita of $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents versus $73.46 on 7,958,180 residents moves with New Jersey. FY2026 of $878,702,039 versus $584,612,717 does too. Pharmaceuticals versus building construction is mix, not the entire book of either file.

Intensity: $92.49 versus $73.46

New Jersey’s 9,500,851 residents against $8.1B produce $92.49 per capita. Washington’s 7,958,180 residents against $7.3B produce $73.46. Intensity favors New Jersey, in the same direction as the stacked ranking and the FY2026 ranking. Population does not invert this pair.

A $92.49 per-person reading is an intensity fact attached to $8.1B, not a household check. Washington’s $73.46 is attached to $7.3B. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. New Jersey leads stacked dollars, rows, people, intensity, and the latest fiscal year. Washington’s counters in this packet are limited.

Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey, construction in Washington

New Jersey’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 $8.1B and $7.3B stocks.

A pharmaceutical-preparation lead inside New Jersey’s 1,162,765-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 and scale both differ. Neither label is the entire stock.

FY2026: $878.7M in New Jersey vs $584.6M in Washington

FY2026 obligations are $878,702,039 in New Jersey and $584,612,717 in Washington. New Jersey remains ahead in the latest year, in the same direction as the stacked ranking. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The $8.1B 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 New Jersey’s 1,162,765 or Washington’s 236,821 all-years awards. Per capita of $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents versus $73.46 on 7,958,180 residents is the intensity comparison. FY2026 answers how the latest year booked. Stacked totals still favor New Jersey.

New Jersey’s $878,702,039 FY2026 versus Washington’s $584,612,717 moves with $8,084,032,234 versus $7,337,035,583. 1,162,765 awards versus 236,821 awards remain the paperwork gulf. 9,500,851 residents versus 7,958,180 residents produce $92.49 versus $73.46. Do not divide FY2026 by all-years award counts. Both cuts are obligations, not outlays.

A consistent New Jersey lead with a row spike

New Jersey leads stacked dollars ($8.1B vs $7.3B), award count (1,162,765 vs 236,821), population (9,500,851 vs 7,958,180), per capita ($92.49 vs $73.46), and FY2026 ($878.7M vs $584.6M). The distinctive fact is the 5-to-1 row gap on stocks that are only $747 million apart.

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

What a 5-to-1 award gap does not prove

New Jersey’s 1,162,765 awards on $8,084,032,234 versus Washington’s 236,821 awards on $7,337,035,583 is a paperwork fact, not a quality ranking and not an outlay ranking. Per capita of $92.49 on 9,500,851 residents versus $73.46 on 7,958,180 residents is an intensity fact attached to those same stocks. FY2026 of $878,702,039 versus $584,612,717 is a recency fact.

Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing versus commercial and institutional building construction marks the largest NAICS slice in each file. It does not explain every dollar in either stock. Open the New Jersey and Washington hubs for the rest of the mix. Obligations are not cash paid.

Questions

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

New Jersey leads in stacked USAspending.gov obligations: $8,084,032,234 versus Washington’s $7,337,035,583. New Jersey has far more awards (1,162,765 vs 236,821) and more people (9,500,851 vs 7,958,180). Spending per capita is $92.49 in New Jersey and $73.46 in Washington. FY2026 obligations are $878.7M and $584.6M. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does New Jersey have so many more awards than Washington?

New Jersey logs 1,162,765 awards on $8.1B. Washington logs 236,821 awards on $7.3B. New Jersey’s file is busier in rows on a similar-order stock, which implies a smaller typical booking. Per capita is $92.49 versus $73.46. Populations are 9,500,851 and 7,958,180. FY2026 favors New Jersey ($878.7M vs $584.6M).

What industries lead New Jersey and Washington federal awards?

New Jersey’s top industry is pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those slices sit on $8.1B and $7.3B obligation stocks. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 1,162,765 in New Jersey and 236,821 in Washington.

Are New Jersey vs Washington figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $8.1B and $7.3B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $878.7M and $584.6M measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments.