The Defense Economy, State by State
The defense industry isn't spread evenly. A handful of states receive the lion's share of Pentagon contracts, host the most bases, and depend on military spending for their economies. This is how the military-industrial complex keeps Congress voting for war budgets.
💰 Biggest Defense Spenders
🎯 Most Militarized (% of GSP)
States most economically dependent on Pentagon spending.
🏗️ Most Military Installations
🗺️ Why It's Not Even
Defense spending is concentrated by design. Powerful senators and representatives steer contracts to their districts, creating a feedback loop: defense jobs create voters who support defense spending, which creates more defense jobs. This is why the F-35 has parts manufactured in 45 states — it's not engineering efficiency, it's political insurance. Every congressional district with a defense plant has a representative who will vote against cutting the program.
All States & Territories
| # | State | DoD Spending | Jobs | Bases | % of GSP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CaliforniaCA | $72.1B | 165,400 | 79 | 1.8% |
| 2 | VirginiaVA | $68.4B | 156,200 | 47 | 10.8% |
| 3 | TexasTX | $62.4B | 178,500 | 32 | 2.8% |
| 4 | MarylandMD | $42.1B | 88,600 | 28 | 9.1% |
| 5 | FloridaFL | $35.8B | 82,100 | 49 | 2.5% |
| 6 | ConnecticutCT | $23.4B | 34,500 | 6 | 7.8% |
| 7 | GeorgiaGA | $21.5B | 72,400 | 21 | 3% |
| 8 | MassachusettsMA | $21.3B | 28,700 | 14 | 3.1% |
| 9 | ArizonaAZ | $20.3B | 45,200 | 20 | 4.8% |
| 10 | ColoradoCO | $18.7B | 44,800 | 12 | 4.1% |
| 11 | WashingtonWA | $18.4B | 42,800 | 18 | 2.4% |
| 12 | PennsylvaniaPA | $18.2B | 34,800 | 21 | 2.1% |
| 13 | North CarolinaNC | $18.2B | 79,600 | 14 | 2.7% |
| 14 | AlabamaAL | $16.2B | 37,600 | 30 | 5.8% |
| 15 | New YorkNY | $15.8B | 32,600 | 22 | 0.8% |
| 16 | MissouriMO | $14.8B | 32,400 | 16 | 4% |
| 17 | OhioOH | $12.8B | 28,300 | 15 | 1.6% |
| 18 | HawaiiHI | $12.4B | 51,200 | 33 | 12.3% |
| 19 | New JerseyNJ | $12.4B | 22,100 | 8 | 1.7% |
| 20 | KentuckyKY | $12.3B | 42,100 | 5 | 5.3% |
| 21 | IllinoisIL | $10.2B | 23,400 | 14 | 1.1% |
| 22 | New MexicoNM | $10.2B | 28,400 | 10 | 8.8% |
| 23 | South CarolinaSC | $9.8B | 38,200 | 8 | 3.6% |
| 24 | MississippiMS | $8.4B | 22,300 | 15 | 6.4% |
| 25 | OklahomaOK | $8.4B | 34,200 | 14 | 3.8% |
| 26 | IndianaIN | $7.8B | 21,300 | 13 | 1.8% |
| 27 | MichiganMI | $7.4B | 15,800 | 8 | 1.2% |
| 28 | LouisianaLA | $7.2B | 16,300 | 15 | 2.5% |
| 29 | AlaskaAK | $6.8B | 21,700 | 29 | 10.1% |
| 30 | MaineME | $6.8B | 14,200 | 11 | 8.3% |
| 31 | UtahUT | $6.8B | 21,400 | 8 | 2.8% |
| 32 | TennesseeTN | $6.2B | 14,800 | 16 | 1.4% |
| 33 | NevadaNV | $5.8B | 14,200 | 12 | 2.8% |
| 34 | KansasKS | $5.8B | 26,700 | 9 | 3.2% |
| 35 | MinnesotaMN | $5.2B | 9,800 | 10 | 1.2% |
| 36 | WisconsinWI | $4.2B | 8,200 | 9 | 1.1% |
| 37 | ArkansasAR | $3.8B | 8,900 | 6 | 2.6% |
| 38 | New HampshireNH | $3.8B | 5,800 | 4 | 3.9% |
| 39 | NebraskaNE | $3.2B | 12,100 | 9 | 2.1% |
| 40 | Rhode IslandRI | $3.2B | 8,400 | 8 | 4.6% |
| 41 | North DakotaND | $3.1B | 11,200 | 9 | 4.8% |
| 42 | OregonOR | $2.4B | 4,200 | 10 | 0.8% |
| 43 | MontanaMT | $2.4B | 7,200 | 9 | 3.8% |
| 44 | IdahoID | $2.1B | 7,600 | 10 | 2.1% |
| 45 | IowaIA | $2.1B | 5,200 | 7 | 1% |
| 46 | DelawareDE | $2.1B | 4,800 | 4 | 2.5% |
| 47 | West VirginiaWV | $1.8B | 4,200 | 12 | 2% |
| 48 | South DakotaSD | $1.8B | 6,800 | 6 | 2.8% |
| 49 | WyomingWY | $1.8B | 5,400 | 3 | 3.8% |
| 50 | VermontVT | $1.2B | 3,400 | 6 | 2.8% |
| 51 | Puerto RicoPR | — | — | 20 | — |
| 52 | GuamGU | — | — | 5 | — |
| 53 | Washington DC | — | — | 4 | — |
| 54 | Virgin Islands | — | — | 1 | — |
Data sources: Department of Defense, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Defense Manpower Data Center. Spending figures in billions USD.