Minnesota vs Virginia

Five point eight million people and a $2.7B obligation file

USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays, put Minnesota at $2.7B and Virginia at $110.8B. Minnesota’s 5,793,151 residents are about 66 percent of Virginia’s 8,811,195. Minnesota’s dollars are about 2 percent of Virginia’s. Headcount does not forecast this table.

Award counts are 98,897 in Minnesota and 1,116,647 in Virginia. Minnesota’s file is active — nearly 99,000 awards — without approaching Virginia’s dollar mass. Volume of rows and volume of dollars remain separate facts.

Sixty-six dollars per person vs $1,344

Minnesota’s $66.07 per capita is among the lower rates next to Virginia’s $1,344.24. The arithmetic is $2.7B over 5,793,151 people versus $110.8B over 8,811,195. After population is divided out, Minnesota still looks like a low-intensity federal-award state in this comparison.

That result will surprise readers who know Minnesota’s large private health and corporate sector. Private payroll is not USAspending. This table only scores federal award obligations with a place of performance in the state.

Minnesota’s 5,793,151 residents are about two-thirds of Virginia’s 8,811,195, which is why $2.7B versus $110.8B cannot be dismissed as a small-state artifact. A large Midwestern state can still show $66.07 per capita in this aggregate. Pharmacy benefit management and other third party administration of insurance and pension funds is the largest industry slice on Minnesota’s 98,897 awards. Other computer related services is the largest slice on Virginia’s 1,116,647 awards. FY2026’s $382.8M versus $11.8B is recency inside those stacks. The comparison scores USAspending.gov obligations, not private health-sector payrolls and not Treasury outlays.

Questions

How much federal spending is in Minnesota vs Virginia?

Minnesota has $2.7B in USAspending.gov obligations and 98,897 awards; Virginia has $110.8B and 1,116,647 awards. Spending per capita is $66.07 versus $1,344.24 on populations of 5,793,151 and 8,811,195. FY2026 obligations are $382.8M 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 industry leads Minnesota’s federal awards compared with Virginia?

Minnesota’s top industry is pharmacy benefit management and other third party administration of insurance and pension funds. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Those slices sit on $2.7B and $110.8B in obligations. They are the largest industry groupings, not complete inventories. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Why is Minnesota’s per-capita federal spending so low vs Virginia?

Minnesota’s $66.07 per capita uses $2.7B in obligations and 5,793,151 residents. Virginia’s $1,344.24 uses $110.8B and 8,811,195 residents. Minnesota has about two-thirds of Virginia’s population and a small fraction of the obligation dollars. Per capita records that intensity gap. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Are Minnesota vs Virginia numbers outlays?

No. They are obligations from USAspending.gov. Treasury outlays are cash payments and can follow later. The $2.7B and $110.8B totals and FY2026 amounts of $382.8M and $11.8B measure award commitments by place of performance, not checks issued. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.