California vs Tennessee

A 7.2 million Census count on $3.6B

Tennessee’s 7,227,750 residents are about 18 percent of California’s 39,431,263. Tennessee’s $3.6B is about 9 percent of California’s $39.5B. Dollars lag population, which is why $97.5 trails $135.64. Tennessee is a large Census file with a cooler obligation load per resident than California.

Tennessee files 63,616 awards. California files 639,340. Tennessee’s row count is about 10 percent of California’s, close to its dollar share and below its population share. The tape is not the high-frequency courier file a reader might expect from the lead NAICS alone. Cite USAspending.gov.

Tennessee’s $3.6B courier-led stock on 7,227,750 residents is a large Census file with a cool $97.5 reading; California’s $39.5B construction-led stock on 39,431,263 residents carries $135.64. FY2026 of $704.7M versus $5.3B does not reorder that ranking.

Express delivery versus federal buildings

Tennessee’s lead NAICS is couriers and express delivery services. California’s lead NAICS is commercial and institutional building construction. A logistics peak on $3.6B is a different federal buying pattern than a facilities peak on $39.5B. The packet names those peaks; it does not give shares.

Use the California and Tennessee state hubs for agencies and recipients. The 63,616 and 639,340 rows include many other NAICS codes. Do not treat the courier peak as an outlay category.

Questions

Does California or Tennessee have more federal spending?

California leads stacked USAspending.gov obligations $39.5B to Tennessee’s $3.6B. California also leads spending per capita, $135.64 versus $97.5, on 39,431,263 residents against Tennessee’s 7,227,750. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 63,616 in Tennessee. FY2026 obligations are $5.3B in California and $704.7M in Tennessee.

What industries lead in California and Tennessee?

California’s top industry is commercial and institutional building construction. Tennessee’s is couriers and express delivery services. Those labels are the largest NAICS slices on $39.5B and $3.6B. Award counts are 639,340 in California and 63,616 in Tennessee. The figures are USAspending.gov obligations, not outlays.

Why is Tennessee’s per-capita figure lower than California’s?

The packet reports $97.5 per capita in Tennessee on 7,227,750 residents and $135.64 in California on 39,431,263. Stacked stocks are $3.6B versus $39.5B, a larger multiple than the population gap runs in Tennessee’s favor. Award counts are 63,616 versus 639,340.

Are California vs Tennessee figures Treasury outlays?

No. The $39.5B and $3.6B totals, and FY2026 amounts of $5.3B and $704.7M, are USAspending.gov obligations. Outlays are cash payments and can lag. Spending per capita ($135.64 vs $97.5) uses Census population where present. Award counts in the packet are all-years totals, not a single fiscal year’s actions.