Virginia vs West Virginia

A shared border and a 65-to-1 dollar gap

These totals are USAspending.gov obligations, not Treasury outlays. Virginia’s $110.8B against West Virginia’s $1.7B is about a 67-to-1 dollar ratio. Population is 8,811,195 versus 1,769,979, about 5-to-1. Neighbor status does not equalize award place of performance.

Award counts: 1,116,647 in Virginia and 14,302 in West Virginia. West Virginia’s file is thin in both dollars and rows. Virginia’s file is the dense contractor market on the eastern side of the same mountain chain.

Per capita still ranks Virginia far ahead

Spending per capita of $1,344.24 in Virginia and $113.44 in West Virginia already adjusts for 8,811,195 vs 1,769,979 people. After that adjustment, Virginia remains about twelve times as intensive. Appalachian proximity does not produce a shared per-person federal-award load.

West Virginia’s $113.44 is not zero. It is a low-intensity reading next to a neighbor that books $110.8B. Total-dollar and per-capita rankings agree; per capita is the one that survives the “West Virginia is smaller” reply.

West Virginia’s 1,769,979 residents are about one-fifth of Virginia’s 8,811,195, while $1.7B is a much smaller fraction of $110.8B. That leftover is the per-capita spread of $113.44 versus $1,344.24. Ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing on 14,302 awards is a factory-floor lead sitting next to Virginia’s 1,116,647-row computer-services file. FY2026’s $11.8B versus $200.8M shows Virginia’s latest year larger than West Virginia’s entire stack. A shared border does not pool those files. Place of performance keeps $110.8B and $1.7B in separate USAspending.gov obligation columns, not in a blended regional total and not in Treasury outlays.

Questions

How do Virginia and West Virginia compare on federal spending?

Virginia has $110.8B in USAspending.gov obligations and 1,116,647 awards; West Virginia has $1.7B and 14,302 awards. Spending per capita is $1,344.24 versus $113.44 on populations of 8,811,195 and 1,769,979. FY2026 obligations are $11.8B and $200.8M. 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 West Virginia vs Virginia?

West Virginia’s top industry is ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Virginia’s is other computer related services. Those slices sit on $1.7B and $110.8B in obligations. Munitions production and computer-related services are different federal industrial bases, even for neighboring states. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Does sharing a border make Virginia and West Virginia similar in federal awards?

Not in this file. Virginia’s $110.8B and 1,116,647 awards dwarf West Virginia’s $1.7B and 14,302 awards. Per capita is $1,344.24 versus $113.44 even after adjusting for 8,811,195 vs 1,769,979 residents. Neighbor geography is not a substitute for award place of performance. Those figures remain USAspending.gov obligations by place of performance, not Treasury outlays and not a score of which state deserves more work.

Are Virginia vs West Virginia figures outlays?

No. They are obligations from USAspending.gov. Treasury outlays are cash payments and can lag, including on production awards. The $110.8B and $1.7B totals and FY2026 amounts of $11.8B and $200.8M measure commitments, 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.