New York vs Pennsylvania on USAspending: $11.9B vs $28.1B

Pennsylvania’s $28.1B outruns New York’s $11.9B

These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Pennsylvania’s $28.1B is about 2.4 times New York’s $11.9B. Among two large northeastern states, the award-dollar lead belongs to Pennsylvania in this aggregate. That is the first fact to hold before anyone reaches for familiar stories about Wall Street, pharmaceuticals, or defense plants.

Award counts run the same direction as dollars. Pennsylvania has 1,468,918 awards; New York has 705,506. Pennsylvania’s file is busier in rows and heavier in dollars. New York’s 705,506 awards on $11.9B is still a large federal footprint; it is simply attached to a thinner stock than Pennsylvania’s $28.1B on 1,468,918 actions.

More people in New York, more dollars per person in Pennsylvania

New York’s 19,867,248 residents exceed Pennsylvania’s 13,078,751. Spending per capita still favors Pennsylvania: $239.68 versus $70.36. After dividing $28.1B and $11.9B by those Census counts, Pennsylvania remains about 3.4 times as intensive. Population is not the engine of this ranking.

A $70.36 per-person reading in New York means a huge private economy can coexist with a thinner federal-award intensity than Pennsylvania shows at $239.68. This table scores USAspending place of performance, not GDP. New York’s 19,867,248 residents do not produce a larger obligation stock than Pennsylvania’s 13,078,751.

Communications equipment in New York, botanicals in Pennsylvania

New York’s top industry is other communications equipment manufacturing. Pennsylvania’s is medicinal and botanical manufacturing. Those labels mark the largest NAICS slice in each state’s file, not a full industrial census. Equipment-manufacturing awards and botanical-manufacturing awards are different lead products sitting on $11.9B and $28.1B.

A communications-equipment lead in New York can concentrate hardware production inside a 705,506-award file. A botanical-manufacturing lead in Pennsylvania sits inside 1,468,918 awards, so that slice is one grouping among a much thicker record set. Mix and scale both differ. Neither industry name explains every dollar.

FY2026: $1.4B in New York vs $3.1B in Pennsylvania

FY2026 obligations are $1.4B in New York and $3.1B in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s latest year remains ahead, matching the direction of the $28.1B versus $11.9B stacked ranking. Recency questions belong in FY2026. The stacked totals remain the full USAspending.gov aggregate this comparison uses. Both years are obligations, not outlays.

Do not divide those FY figures by New York’s 705,506 or Pennsylvania’s 1,468,918 all-years awards. Per capita of $70.36 on 19,867,248 residents versus $239.68 on 13,078,751 residents is the intensity comparison that already reverses the population ranking. Both cuts are USAspending.gov obligations.

A northeastern inversion

Four rankings disagree in this pair. People favor New York (19,867,248 vs 13,078,751). Dollars favor Pennsylvania ($28.1B vs $11.9B). Per capita favors Pennsylvania ($239.68 vs $70.36). Award count favors Pennsylvania (1,468,918 vs 705,506). FY2026 also favors Pennsylvania ($3.1B vs $1.4B). That is why New York versus Pennsylvania cannot be reduced to “bigger state wins.”

Other communications equipment manufacturing versus medicinal and botanical manufacturing is mix inside files that contain many other industries. Use the New York and Pennsylvania hubs for agencies and recipients. Keep $11.9B and $28.1B labeled as obligations.

How to use the New York and Pennsylvania hubs

New York’s 19,867,248 residents do not produce a larger obligation stock than Pennsylvania’s 13,078,751. The $11.9B versus $28.1B ranking is the fact to carry into the New York hub and the Pennsylvania hub, where agency and recipient tables live. Other communications equipment manufacturing versus medicinal and botanical manufacturing is mix, not an explanation of every dollar in 705,506 or 1,468,918 awards.

Per capita of $70.36 versus $239.68 is the intensity cut that reverses the population ranking. FY2026’s $1.4B versus $3.1B follows the stacked ranking. None of those figures are Monthly Treasury Statement outlays. Place of performance can differ from where a paying agency sits. Use the hubs for the next drill-down. Keep $11.9B and $28.1B labeled as USAspending.gov obligations so a later cash lag is not mistaken for a ranking change.

New York versus Pennsylvania is a northeastern inversion: 19,867,248 people and $11.9B against 13,078,751 people and $28.1B. Other communications equipment manufacturing and medicinal and botanical manufacturing are lead slices on 705,506 and 1,468,918 awards. FY2026 of $1.4B versus $3.1B follows the stock. Per capita of $70.36 versus $239.68 is the intensity cut. Obligations remain the unit. The New York and Pennsylvania hubs hold the next tables.

Questions

Which state has more federal spending, New York or Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania leads in USAspending.gov obligations: $28.1B versus New York’s $11.9B. Pennsylvania has more awards (1,468,918 vs 705,506) despite fewer people (13,078,751 vs 19,867,248). Spending per capita is $70.36 in New York and $239.68 in Pennsylvania. FY2026 obligations are $1.4B and $3.1B. These are obligations, not Treasury outlays.

Why does Pennsylvania show more federal obligations than New York despite fewer people?

Pennsylvania’s $28.1B on 13,078,751 residents produces $239.68 per capita. New York’s $11.9B on 19,867,248 residents produces $70.36. Award counts also favor Pennsylvania (1,468,918 vs 705,506). Pennsylvania’s lead is both dollars and rows, not merely intensity. Top industries differ: medicinal and botanical manufacturing (PA) vs other communications equipment manufacturing (NY).

What industries lead New York and Pennsylvania federal awards?

New York’s top industry is other communications equipment manufacturing. Pennsylvania’s is medicinal and botanical manufacturing. Those slices sit on $11.9B and $28.1B in obligations. They mark the largest grouping in each file, not every award in either state. Award counts are 705,506 in New York and 1,468,918 in Pennsylvania.

Are New York vs Pennsylvania figures Treasury outlays?

No. SpendingVault uses USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. The $11.9B and $28.1B stacked totals and FY2026 amounts of $1.4B and $3.1B measure award commitments by place of performance, not Monthly Treasury Statement payments. Place of performance can differ from where the paying agency sits.