# March Madness: From the court to the corporate card We analyzed spending across 35K+ companies in all four NCAA regions. It revealed a corporate bracket (and a Cinderella winner). See how each region stacks up. **URL Source:** https://www.brex.com/journal/march-2026-brex-benchmark --- The Brex Benchmark March Madness: From the court to the corporate card A regional spending showdown March Madness tips off this week, and the madness isn't just on the court β€” it's in the expense reports. We analyzed spend data from over 35,000 companies across the four NCAA tournament regions and matched them up head-to-head in five categories to crown a corporate champion. Think of it as a bracket, but for business spending. Four regions, five categories We mapped customers to the South, East, Midwest, or West based on company headquarters, then analyzed spending in five categories: - Competitiveness: ads and sales software - Productivity: AI and dev tools - Sports: gyms, sports merch, March Madness memos - Travel: flights, hotels, rideshare - Team culture: restaurants, bars, food delivery We used spend per employee, not per company, so the results aren't skewed by regional differences in customer concentration or company size. Let the games begin. The semifinals South vs. West: West wins 3 - 2 The South dominates in competitiveness β€” ad spend (+12.9%) and sales software (+17.2%) β€” and takes travel (+11.3% on hotels). But productivity goes to the West. The West spends 33% more on dev tools and 16.2% more on AI. But the South is catching up fast, with AI spending up 41.4% YoY. Next year could be a different story. PSA to bars in the South: brace for an influx of fans. The South outspends the West on bars by 25.7%. ![South vs West](https://brand.brex.com/transform/8e3067da-339e-4703-9db9-c792b7705a71/Blog-899-x-713-South-vs-West) East vs. Midwest: Midwest wins 3-2 Another nail-biter. The Midwest eked out the win with a sweep in travel and commanding leads in sports (+33.1% on gym and fitness) and team culture (+20.7% on restaurants, +24.1% on bars). If you read our [Super Bowl edition](https://www.brex.com/journal/brex-benchmark-february-2026), you know beating the East on bar and restaurant spend is no small feat. ![East vs Midwest](https://brand.brex.com/transform/46f590ba-1a22-4e11-b809-6a17d5a9b198/Blog-899-x-713-East-vs-Midwest) The Championship Midwest vs West: Midwest wins 4-1 The Midwest is this year's Cinderella story. It's the smallest region at 6% of our base, but it dominated on a per-employee basis. After edging out the South in the semifinal, the Midwest took four of five categories against the West: Sports, Travel, Team Culture, and Competitiveness. The only loss? Productivity. The West's dev tools and AI firepower proved too strong. ![Midwest vs West](https://brand.brex.com/transform/3783bbb6-8170-44d3-9c24-262bd9c3a31b/Blog-899-x-713-Midwest-vs-West-Championship) The Midwest came to win Whether you're in an office bracket pool or couldn't care less about college basketball, we hope you enjoyed this look at spending across the four corners of the US. And if you know anyone from the Midwest, give them a pat on the back. They just won the Big Dance of Spending. _The Brex Benchmark is a monthly snapshot of how 35,000+ Brex customers are spending. All data is anonymized and aggregated for privacy. For questions about methodology, email [privacy@brex.com](mailto:privacy@brex.com)._ ## Related Articles ### [Vendor verification and payment controls for fast-moving companies](https://www.brex.com/journal/vendor-verification-and-payment-controls-for-fast-moving-companies) A cautionary tale on why finance leaders should institute thorough spend controls, vendor background checks, and payment approvals. ### [πŸ“‹ Cash flow IDC Report](https://www.brex.com/resources/cash-flow-optimization-ai-ml) This IDC report explains why AI and ML bring new predictability and automation to cash management processes β€” and how you can capitalize. ### [Alchemy case study](https://www.brex.com/resources/customer/alchemy) Web3 developer platform Alchemy saves up to 3 days on every month-end close with Brex’s unified global spend management. ### [Impact metrics](https://www.brex.com/journal/brex-customers-are-driving-compliance) See how Brex's AI-powered cards and expense management software are saving customers time and money. ### [Brex Benchmark: 2025 year-end report ](https://www.brex.com/journal/brex-benchmark-december-2025) See which AI and software vendors reign supreme in this exclusive analysis of how 35,000+ customers spent using Brex in 2025. ### [How to hire the best controller](https://www.brex.com/journal/36-critical-interview-questions-for-controllers) Looking to make your next strategic finance hire? Here are a few dozen questions to ask to help you separate a good controller from an amazing one.