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2016 Education Spending Per Student by State

View spending on public elementary and secondary education per pupil.

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The Census Bureau compiles data on education spending per pupil and elementary/secondary education revenues for each state.

Nationally, the most recent data indicates $11,762 is spent on public education per student. Significant variation exists across states; New York spends more than $20,000 per student, while states like Utah and Idaho report spending about a third as much.

(NOTE: See the most recent data for the 2018 fiscal year)

Many different factors and conditions within states influence education spending totals. Some of the more prominent factors include cost of living, class sizes and student demographics.

Expenditures shown in the following table reflect current spending, which does not include capital outlays, interest on debts and payments to other governments.

2016 Public School Spending Per Student By State



StateTotal Per Pupil SpendingTotal Spending (in Ks)Instruction Spending Per PupilInstruction Spending (in Ks)Support Services Per PupilSupport Services (in Ks)
United States$11,762$587,004,677$7,160$357,578,738$4,107$199,467,318
Alabama$9,236$6,907,539$5,257$3,865,453$3,321$2,439,634
Alaska$17,510$2,327,151$9,449$1,251,738$7,427$983,877
Arizona$7,613$7,276,067$4,077$3,872,250$3,105$2,913,176
Arkansas$9,846$4,750,938$5,539$2,658,253$3,762$1,802,769
California$11,495$72,641,244$6,849$42,587,272$4,191$26,058,021
Colorado$9,575$8,519,780$5,423$4,786,838$3,785$3,333,043
Connecticut$18,958$9,798,789$11,656$6,110,631$6,621$3,307,162
Delaware$14,713$1,845,143$9,191$1,126,775$4,852$588,181
District of Columbia$19,159$1,007,280$10,758$594,396$7,637$369,131
Florida$8,920$25,339,845$5,478$15,212,112$2,984$8,286,140
Georgia$9,769$17,118,329$5,975$10,534,931$3,216$5,554,271
Hawaii$13,748$2,516,444$8,066$1,468,044$4,953$901,508
Idaho$7,157$1,971,800$4,262$1,171,313$2,508$689,190
Illinois$14,180$29,223,830$8,636$17,804,976$5,134$10,426,170
Indiana$9,856$9,959,771$5,706$5,730,602$3,653$3,663,349
Iowa$11,150$5,694,316$6,787$3,447,707$3,894$1,978,260
Kansas$9,960$4,941,714$6,063$3,006,786$3,401$1,685,306
Kentucky$9,863$6,834,081$5,708$3,917,968$3,533$2,425,472
Louisiana$11,038$7,305,990$6,199$4,095,916$4,222$2,789,031
Maine$13,278$2,491,632$7,587$1,437,164$5,216$938,187
Maryland$14,206$12,516,025$8,848$7,779,504$4,935$4,338,868
Massachusetts$15,593$15,466,496$9,713$9,991,819$5,396$4,970,289
Michigan$11,668$15,860,412$6,823$9,113,469$4,416$5,899,097
Minnesota$12,382$10,520,027$8,074$6,548,885$3,719$3,016,934
Mississippi$8,702$4,246,156$4,951$2,407,637$3,190$1,551,274
Missouri$10,313$9,417,531$6,156$5,488,433$3,700$3,298,811
Montana$11,348$1,657,624$6,701$973,199$4,125$599,074
Nebraska$12,299$3,882,657$8,008$2,526,973$3,642$1,149,107
Nevada$8,960$3,978,436$5,183$2,288,790$3,409$1,505,591
New Hampshire$15,340$2,778,905$9,610$1,743,022$5,341$959,654
New Jersey$18,402$26,756,822$10,716$15,831,343$6,999$9,549,742
New Mexico$9,693$3,102,120$5,418$1,733,158$3,789$1,212,080
New York$22,366$61,447,337$15,746$43,964,520$6,130$15,883,500
North Carolina$8,792$12,917,195$5,513$8,060,544$2,806$4,102,549
North Dakota$13,373$1,460,308$8,005$867,650$4,380$474,679
Ohio$12,102$20,561,122$7,071$12,247,509$4,613$7,357,292
Oklahoma$8,097$5,474,468$4,528$3,047,217$2,989$2,011,100
Oregon$10,842$6,457,713$6,327$3,834,741$4,123$2,367,410
Pennsylvania$15,418$26,261,079$9,446$16,717,308$5,383$8,464,573
Rhode Island$15,532$2,242,317$9,035$1,340,088$6,065$811,796
South Carolina$10,249$7,746,894$5,629$4,274,682$4,054$3,013,294
South Dakota$9,176$1,248,905$5,360$730,176$3,287$440,580
Tennessee$8,810$8,886,616$5,406$5,401,812$2,917$2,915,193
Texas$9,016$45,886,733$5,514$27,862,199$3,002$15,169,007
Utah$6,953$4,095,444$4,467$2,591,600$2,098$1,217,100
Vermont$17,873$1,652,676$10,720$1,013,209$6,629$583,178
Virginia$11,432$14,752,819$6,966$8,944,614$4,024$5,164,699
Washington$11,534$12,569,546$6,538$7,087,365$4,525$4,904,575
West Virginia$11,291$3,167,977$6,507$1,804,235$4,073$1,127,255
Wisconsin$11,456$9,959,870$6,697$5,760,418$4,304$3,691,439
Wyoming$16,442$1,560,764$9,750$921,494$6,197$585,700
"Total spending" includes non-personnel expenses not shown. Source: 2016 Annual Survey of School System Finances, U.S. Census Bureau

Fiscal Year 2016 Public Elementary-Secondary School Per Pupil Spending By Function

For most states, instructional employees typically account for slightly more than half of total education spending per student. Support staff and administrative expenses also account for varying expenses. This chart illustrates how major components of education spending per student vary by state. (Also see FY 2015 chart or FY 2014 chart.) 
 
NOTE: Adult education, community services and other nonelementary-secondary program expenditures are excluded. Enrollments for state educational facilities and charter schools whose charters are held by nongovernmental entities are also not reflected in the totals. "Other" spending includes non-personnel related expenses, such as capital outlays and transfer payments to municipal entities. SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau 2016 Annual Survey of School System Finances

Historical State School Spending Data

Select a state in the menu below to view reported education revenues and expenditures by state since 2007:

Page last updated: June 1, 2018

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Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.
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