Virginia vs Washington on USAspending

Two eight-million-person states, one federal-award giant

When populations nearly match, the dollar column is the clean test. Washington’s 7,958,180 residents are about 90 percent of Virginia’s 8,811,195. Washington’s $7.3B is about 7 percent of Virginia’s $110.8B. That is not a rounding difference. USAspending.gov place-of-performance attributes a large professional-services stock to Virginia and a much smaller federal book to Washington.

Washington’s private technology economy is not what this row measures. Federal obligations are not private payroll. A state can host major private tech employers and still show $7.3B on the USAspending state aggregate.

Eight million eight hundred eleven thousand one hundred ninety-five versus 7,958,180 residents is the cleanest large-state population match in this assigned batch after New Jersey. $110.8B versus $7.3B is therefore a numerator story. USAspending.gov place-of-performance puts the contractor-hub stock in Virginia and a much smaller federal book in Washington, regardless of Washington’s private technology employers.

Computer-related services vs building construction

Virginia’s top industry is other computer related services. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction — the same construction lead California, Alabama, and Hawaii show in this batch. IT services versus buildings is the industry contrast, and it runs opposite the casual story that “Washington is the tech state.” On this federal ledger, Virginia holds the computer-related-services lead.

Washington’s award count is 236,821 against Virginia’s 1,116,647. Construction can produce fewer actions than a services-modification market. This page does not assign a share of $7.3B to buildings.

Commercial and institutional building construction as Washington’s top industry will surprise readers who expected a software NAICS code. The packet’s industry fact is construction, under $7.3B and 236,821 awards. Virginia’s other computer related services fact sits under $110.8B and 1,116,647 awards. On this federal ledger, Virginia holds the computer-services lead.

Per-capita $73.46, in New York’s neighborhood

Washington’s spending per capita is $73.46, close to New York’s $70.36 in this set, despite a much smaller population. The driver is the small $7.3B numerator, not a 20-million-person denominator. Virginia’s $1,344.24 is about 18 times higher. Per-capita is not a household payment.

FY 2026 tags the latest year. The $110.8B and $7.3B stocks are broader aggregates, not a single-year construction or IT appropriation.

$73.46 per capita is $7.3B over 7,958,180 people, close to New York’s $70.36 despite New York’s much larger population. A small numerator produces a low per-capita figure even without a 20-million-person denominator. Virginia’s $1,344.24 is $110.8B over 8,811,195. FY 2026 is the latest year tag.

How to cite Virginia versus Washington

Lead with the similar populations, then the dissimilar dollars: 8,811,195 vs 7,958,180 people, $110.8B vs $7.3B, $1,344.24 vs $73.46 per capita, 1,116,647 vs 236,821 awards. Cite USAspending.gov. Do not relabel obligations as outlays.

The Virginia and Washington state pages hold agency and recipient detail. The comparison index lists other pairs if the question is Washington versus another Pacific state rather than versus Virginia.

Cite USAspending.gov obligations. Mixing private tech revenue with $7.3B or $110.8B produces a fake comparison. The Virginia and Washington state hubs hold agency and recipient tables. This guide is the similar-population, dissimilar-stock pair.

What not to infer

This page does not score Boeing-versus-Beltway, does not convert $7.3B into jobs, and does not mix private tech revenue with federal awards. The packet’s facts are the two obligation totals, award counts, populations, per-capita figures, FY 2026, and the two top-industry labels.

Similar headcount, opposite federal intensity

Virginia’s 8,811,195 residents and Washington’s 7,958,180 residents are close enough that $110.8B versus $7.3B cannot be blamed on population. $1,344.24 versus $73.46 per capita is the scaled version of the same numerator gap. 1,116,647 versus 236,821 awards is the action version. Other computer related services versus commercial and institutional building construction is the industry version. Private technology employment in Washington is not a USAspending.gov obligation. Mixing it with $7.3B or $110.8B produces a fake tech-versus-Beltway score. FY 2026 is the latest year. Cite obligations, not outlays. Use the Virginia and Washington state pages for drill-downs. Washington’s 236,821 awards and $73.46 per capita should travel with the $7.3B headline in any reuse of this pair.

Questions

Does Washington state get more federal spending than Virginia?

No. Washington shows $7.3B in USAspending obligations; Virginia shows $110.8B. Populations are similar: 7,958,180 in Washington and 8,811,195 in Virginia. Totals are obligations, not Treasury outlays. FY 2026 is the latest year in the pair. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

What is Washington’s federal spending per capita vs Virginia?

Washington’s spending per capita is $73.46. Virginia’s is $1,344.24. Both divide USAspending obligations by Census population (7,958,180 and 8,811,195). Per-capita is a scaling statistic, not a payment to residents. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

What top industries show up for Virginia and Washington?

Virginia’s top industry is other computer related services. Washington’s is commercial and institutional building construction. Those NAICS descriptions are the leading slices in SpendingVault’s aggregates, not a complete list of either state’s federal work. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.

How many federal awards are in Washington versus Virginia?

Washington has 236,821 awards in this aggregate; Virginia has 1,116,647. Award counts include contracts, grants, and modifications. Virginia also leads on dollars, $110.8B versus Washington’s $7.3B. Figures come from SpendingVault aggregates of USAspending.gov award records. They are obligations — recorded commitments — not Treasury outlays, and FY 2026 is the latest year in the comparison.