North Carolina, along with the rest of the states, is prepping for the Oct. 10 deadline for reporting how the state used federal stimulus money and what the results were.

The states must report to the White House Recovery Board on, among other details, how many jobs were saved or created through each program. The data will be posted to the web and immediately descended upon by the media and public.

"That's what everyone's going to be comparing themselves to each other on," said Chris Whatley, Washington director of the Council of State Governments.

Administration officials, particularly Vice President Joe Biden, have warned that they'll be scrutinizing the data.