California vs Nevada

Nevada’s $171.84 vs California’s $135.64

California’s $39.5B and Nevada’s $2.9B are not near-peers on stacked USAspending.gov obligations. Population is 39,431,263 versus 3,267,467. Intensity flips: Nevada’s $171.84 per capita exceeds California’s $135.64. Award counts run with scale, not with the per-person ratio — 639,340 in California and 45,442 in Nevada. Cite USAspending.gov for the stacked totals. Cash payments can lag award dates, which is why this page stays on obligations.

A scale pair can invert intensity when the smaller Census count sits on a stock that does not shrink as fast as population. Nevada’s 3,267,467 residents on $2.9B produce $171.84 per capita. California’s 39,431,263 residents on $39.5B produce $135.64. The dollar ranking and the per-person ranking disagree. FY2026 of $5.3B versus $561.5M still follows the stacked dollar ranking.

Nevada’s 45,442 awards on $2.9B are a sparse row count beside California’s 639,340 on $39.5B. Fewer actions, hotter ratio. That is a size-of-action story as much as a headcount story. These figures remain USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Cite USAspending.gov for the $39.5B and $2.9B stocks.

Construction in California, automobile manufacturing in Nevada

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Nevada’s top industry is automobile manufacturing. Those peaks sit on $39.5B and $2.9B. A facilities peak on a 39,431,263 Census file is not the same mix as an auto-manufacturing peak on a 3,267,467 Census file. Neither label describes every one of 639,340 or 45,442 awards. Mix is a first read, not a full industrial census of either state.

Automobile manufacturing on Nevada’s $2.9B file can concentrate large vehicle awards. Commercial and institutional building construction on California’s $39.5B file is a facilities peak on a much larger Census count. Use the comparison hub for the side-by-side tables, then the California and Nevada state hubs for agencies and recipients. Both peaks are USAspending.gov obligation mixes. Outlays are not listed.

Questions

Does California or Nevada have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Nevada’s $2.9B. Nevada leads spending per capita, $171.84 versus $135.64, on 3,267,467 residents against California’s 39,431,263. Award counts are 639,340 versus 45,442. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $561.5M in Nevada. Cite USAspending.gov.

Why is Nevada’s per-capita figure higher than California’s?

The packet reports $171.84 per capita in Nevada on 3,267,467 residents and $135.64 in California on 39,431,263. Stacked stocks are $2.9B versus $39.5B. Award counts are 45,442 versus 639,340. These figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays. FY2026 amounts are $5.3B and $561.5M.

What industries lead in California and Nevada?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Nevada’s is automobile manufacturing. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $2.9B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 45,442 in Nevada. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B and $561.5M.

Are California vs Nevada figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $2.9B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $561.5M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $171.84) uses Census population where present. Award counts are 639,340 and 45,442.