Nevada vs Virginia on USAspending: auto manufacturing against $110.8B in IT services

A $2.9B desert-state file vs a $110.8B capital-region file

Obligations from USAspending.gov, not Treasury outlays, put Nevada at $2.9B and Virginia at $110.8B. Award counts are 45,442 and 1,116,647. Nevada wins federal work. It does not host Virginia’s density of professional-services awards.

Population (3,267,467 vs 8,811,195) is about a 2.7-to-1 ratio. Obligations are about a 39-to-1 ratio. The extra gap is the federal-award intensity difference this comparison exists to show.

Per capita: $171.84 vs $1,344.24

Nevada’s $171.84 per resident is higher than several Plains and Midwest states in this set, and still far below Virginia’s $1,344.24. Dividing $2.9B by 3,267,467 people and $110.8B by 8,811,195 people is the entire per-capita method. It does not convert either total into take-home income or state tax collections.

A reader who only remembers that Nevada is a fast-growing state might expect a thicker federal-award file. $171.84 versus $1,344.24 is the measured result in this aggregate.

Nevada’s automobile-manufacturing lead is the mix fact that should be quoted before anyone reaches for a generic Western-state template. The dollar facts remain $2.9B versus Virginia’s $110.8B, 45,442 awards versus 1,116,647, and $171.84 per capita on 3,267,467 residents versus $1,344.24 on 8,811,195. FY2026’s $561.5M versus $11.8B shows Nevada’s latest year as a large share of its stack and still a small number next to Virginia’s current layer. Auto-related production awards and computer-related services awards can both be federal obligations without being the same industrial base. USAspending.gov is the source. Outlays are not substituted in.

Automobile manufacturing vs other computer related services

Nevada’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Federal awards in an auto-manufacturing slice can include vehicles, parts, and related production work. Virginia’s lead slice is IT-related services stacked across agencies.

Those two labels are among the sharper industry contrasts in the comparison set. They sit on 45,442 Nevada awards and 1,116,647 Virginia awards, and on $2.9B versus $110.8B. Mix and scale both differ.

FY2026: $561.5M vs $11.8B

FY2026 obligations are $561.5M in Nevada and $11.8B in Virginia. Nevada’s latest year is a large share of its $2.9B stack — more recent-year concentrated than some peers. Virginia’s $11.8B remains one year inside $110.8B. Use FY2026 for recency and the stacked total for the full file.

Nevada’s $561.5M in FY2026 is a large share of $2.9B, which makes the latest year more important here than in states whose FY cut is a thin slice. Virginia’s $11.8B inside $110.8B is still a much larger current booking. Automobile manufacturing lots can land unevenly across fiscal years. Do not divide $561.5M by Nevada’s 45,442 all-years awards. Per capita stays $171.84 on 3,267,467 residents versus $1,344.24 on 8,811,195. Both columns are USAspending.gov obligations.

Factory floor vs contractor corridor

This page does not say Nevada’s auto-related awards are a factory-only story, and it does not say Virginia’s computer-services awards are all Beltway firms. Place of performance can be a plant, a depot, or an office. $2.9B and $110.8B are obligation aggregates from USAspending.gov. State hubs carry the recipient lists. Nevada’s $2.9B can include vehicle-related production awards that do not resemble Virginia’s computer-services task orders. Place of performance still decides which state column receives the obligation. Headquarters in another state do not move the $2.9B versus $110.8B totals by themselves.

An auto-manufacturing lead is unusual next to Virginia’s computer-services lead, and that contrast is the point of this pair. Nevada’s $2.9B is not an auto-only file, and Virginia’s $110.8B is not an IT-only file. Largest slice and whole file remain different ideas. Award counts of 45,442 versus 1,116,647 describe crowding. Outlays can lag production awards. Use the Nevada and Virginia hubs for agencies and recipients.

How to read an auto-led file against an IT-led file

Nevada’s $2.9B, 45,442 awards, and $171.84 per capita on 3,267,467 residents describe a mid-small obligation file with an unusual lead industry. Virginia’s $110.8B, 1,116,647 awards, and $1,344.24 on 8,811,195 residents describe a dense services file. Auto manufacturing versus other computer related services is the mix contrast, not a complete census of either economy.

FY2026 ($561.5M vs $11.8B) shows Nevada’s latest year as a large share of $2.9B. That recency share is useful and still not a claim that Nevada is closing on $110.8B. USAspending.gov obligations are the unit. Treasury outlays are a later cash concept.

Questions

How do Nevada and Virginia compare on federal spending?

Nevada has $2.9B in USAspending.gov obligations and 45,442 awards; Virginia has $110.8B and 1,116,647 awards. Spending per capita is $171.84 versus $1,344.24 on populations of 3,267,467 and 8,811,195. FY2026 obligations are $561.5M and $11.8B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

What is Nevada’s top federal contracting industry vs Virginia’s?

Nevada’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Those labels are the largest industry slices on $2.9B and $110.8B in obligations. They do not list every NAICS code in either state file. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Is Nevada close to Virginia in federal spending per person?

No. Nevada is at $171.84 per capita; Virginia is at $1,344.24. Nevada’s $2.9B is divided across 3,267,467 residents; Virginia’s $110.8B is divided across 8,811,195. Nevada’s rate is higher than some similarly sized dollar files, and still far below Virginia’s. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Are Nevada vs Virginia totals outlays or obligations?

Obligations from USAspending.gov. Treasury outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $2.9B and $110.8B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $561.5M and $11.8B measure commitments on awards with a place of performance in each state. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.