Data / Rankings / Public school current spending per pupil / US states

US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024

New York had the highest public school current spending per pupil of 51 states in 2024, at $31,918. Idaho had the lowest, at $11,060. The median was $16,147 and the figure for the United States was $17,619. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest31,918New York
Lowest11,060Idaho
Median16,14751 states
United States17,619History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 13,627 USDAlaska: 21,004 USDArizona: 12,003 USDArkansas: 13,873 USDCalifornia: 20,791 USDColorado: 15,908 USDConnecticut: 26,316 USDDelaware: 22,201 USDDistrict of Columbia: 31,529 USDFlorida: 12,693 USDGeorgia: 15,833 USDHawaii: 23,878 USDIdaho: 11,060 USDIllinois: 21,776 USDIndiana: 13,622 USDIowa: 14,369 USDKansas: 15,558 USDKentucky: 14,596 USDLouisiana: 15,581 USDMaine: 19,962 USDMaryland: 20,208 USDMassachusetts: 24,429 USDMichigan: 18,314 USDMinnesota: 17,098 USDMississippi: 12,324 USDMissouri: 14,241 USDMontana: 13,656 USDNebraska: 16,147 USDNevada: 14,812 USDNew Hampshire: 22,978 USDNew Jersey: 27,234 USDNew Mexico: 17,664 USDNew York: 31,918 USDNorth Carolina: 12,995 USDNorth Dakota: 17,102 USDOhio: 17,257 USDOklahoma: 12,162 USDOregon: 18,083 USDPennsylvania: 21,091 USDRhode Island: 22,110 USDSouth Carolina: 15,060 USDSouth Dakota: 12,828 USDTennessee: 12,882 USDTexas: 12,895 USDUtah: 11,347 USDVermont: 28,818 USDVirginia: 17,104 USDWashington: 18,564 USDWest Virginia: 15,640 USDWisconsin: 15,952 USDWyoming: 20,521 USD
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 15K
  • 15K to 16K
  • 16K to 19K
  • 19K to 22K
  • 22K and over
USD, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2024

New York: 31,918 USDNew York31,918District of Columbia: 31,529 USDDistrict of Columbia31,529Vermont: 28,818 USDVermont28,818New Jersey: 27,234 USDNew Jersey27,234Connecticut: 26,316 USDConnecticut26,316Massachusetts: 24,429 USDMassachusetts24,429Hawaii: 23,878 USDHawaii23,878New Hampshire: 22,978 USDNew Hampshire22,978Delaware: 22,201 USDDelaware22,201Rhode Island: 22,110 USDRhode Island22,110Illinois: 21,776 USDIllinois21,776Pennsylvania: 21,091 USDPennsylvania21,091Alaska: 21,004 USDAlaska21,004California: 20,791 USDCalifornia20,791Wyoming: 20,521 USDWyoming20,521Maryland: 20,208 USDMaryland20,208Maine: 19,962 USDMaine19,962Washington: 18,564 USDWashington18,564Michigan: 18,314 USDMichigan18,314Oregon: 18,083 USDOregon18,083New Mexico: 17,664 USDNew Mexico17,664Ohio: 17,257 USDOhio17,257Virginia: 17,104 USDVirginia17,104North Dakota: 17,102 USDNorth Dakota17,102Minnesota: 17,098 USDMinnesota17,098Nebraska: 16,147 USDNebraska16,147Wisconsin: 15,952 USDWisconsin15,952Colorado: 15,908 USDColorado15,908Georgia: 15,833 USDGeorgia15,833West Virginia: 15,640 USDWest Virginia15,640Louisiana: 15,581 USDLouisiana15,581Kansas: 15,558 USDKansas15,558South Carolina: 15,060 USDSouth Carolina15,060Nevada: 14,812 USDNevada14,812Kentucky: 14,596 USDKentucky14,596Iowa: 14,369 USDIowa14,369Missouri: 14,241 USDMissouri14,241Arkansas: 13,873 USDArkansas13,873Montana: 13,656 USDMontana13,656Alabama: 13,627 USDAlabama13,627Indiana: 13,622 USDIndiana13,622North Carolina: 12,995 USDNorth Carolina12,995Texas: 12,895 USDTexas12,895Tennessee: 12,882 USDTennessee12,882South Dakota: 12,828 USDSouth Dakota12,828Florida: 12,693 USDFlorida12,693Mississippi: 12,324 USDMississippi12,324Oklahoma: 12,162 USDOklahoma12,162Arizona: 12,003 USDArizona12,003Utah: 11,347 USDUtah11,347Idaho: 11,060 USDIdaho11,060New York: 31,918 USDNew York31,918District of Columbia: 31,529 USDDistrict of Columbia31,529Vermont: 28,818 USDVermont28,818New Jersey: 27,234 USDNew Jersey27,234Connecticut: 26,316 USDConnecticut26,316Massachusetts: 24,429 USDMassachusetts24,429Hawaii: 23,878 USDHawaii23,878New Hampshire: 22,978 USDNew Hampshire22,978Delaware: 22,201 USDDelaware22,201Rhode Island: 22,110 USDRhode Island22,110Illinois: 21,776 USDIllinois21,776Pennsylvania: 21,091 USDPennsylvania21,091Alaska: 21,004 USDAlaska21,004California: 20,791 USDCalifornia20,791Wyoming: 20,521 USDWyoming20,521Maryland: 20,208 USDMaryland20,208Maine: 19,962 USDMaine19,962Washington: 18,564 USDWashington18,564Michigan: 18,314 USDMichigan18,314Oregon: 18,083 USDOregon18,083New Mexico: 17,664 USDNew Mexico17,664Ohio: 17,257 USDOhio17,257Virginia: 17,104 USDVirginia17,104North Dakota: 17,102 USDNorth Dakota17,102Minnesota: 17,098 USDMinnesota17,098Nebraska: 16,147 USDNebraska16,147Wisconsin: 15,952 USDWisconsin15,952Colorado: 15,908 USDColorado15,908Georgia: 15,833 USDGeorgia15,833West Virginia: 15,640 USDWest Virginia15,640Louisiana: 15,581 USDLouisiana15,581Kansas: 15,558 USDKansas15,558South Carolina: 15,060 USDSouth Carolina15,060Nevada: 14,812 USDNevada14,812Kentucky: 14,596 USDKentucky14,596Iowa: 14,369 USDIowa14,369Missouri: 14,241 USDMissouri14,241Arkansas: 13,873 USDArkansas13,873Montana: 13,656 USDMontana13,656Alabama: 13,627 USDAlabama13,627Indiana: 13,622 USDIndiana13,622North Carolina: 12,995 USDNorth Carolina12,995Texas: 12,895 USDTexas12,895Tennessee: 12,882 USDTennessee12,882South Dakota: 12,828 USDSouth Dakota12,828Florida: 12,693 USDFlorida12,693Mississippi: 12,324 USDMississippi12,324Oklahoma: 12,162 USDOklahoma12,162Arizona: 12,003 USDArizona12,003Utah: 11,347 USDUtah11,347Idaho: 11,060 USDIdaho11,060
USD. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2024
USD		Change on 2023
1New York31,918+6.4%
2District of Columbia31,529-0.3%
3Vermont28,818+9.4%
4New Jersey27,234+3.6%
5Connecticut26,316+4.9%
6Massachusetts24,429+6.5%
7Hawaii23,878+19.1%
8New Hampshire22,978+5.7%
9Delaware22,201+4%
10Rhode Island22,110+4.4%
11Illinois21,776+7.5%
12Pennsylvania21,091+5.2%
13Alaska21,004+3.3%
14California20,791+10.6%
15Wyoming20,521+6.2%
16Maryland20,208+7%
17Maine19,962+6.2%
18Washington18,564+2.1%
19Michigan18,314+4.4%
20Oregon18,083+5.4%
21New Mexico17,664+12.6%
22Ohio17,257+4.7%
23Virginia17,104+6.3%
24North Dakota17,102+6.1%
25Minnesota17,098+6.1%
26Nebraska16,147+6.2%
27Wisconsin15,952+7.2%
28Colorado15,908+7.1%
29Georgia15,833+9.8%
30West Virginia15,640+7.3%
31Louisiana15,581+6.4%
32Kansas15,558+4.8%
33South Carolina15,060+7.9%
34Nevada14,812+26.9%
35Kentucky14,596-0.3%
36Iowa14,369+4.2%
37Missouri14,241+5.7%
38Arkansas13,873+8.9%
39Montana13,656-0.8%
40Alabama13,627+6.7%
41Indiana13,622+3.8%
42North Carolina12,995+4%
43Texas12,895+4.8%
44Tennessee12,882+5.6%
45South Dakota12,828+6.9%
46Florida12,693+7%
47Mississippi12,324+1.9%
48Oklahoma12,162+9%
49Arizona12,003+6.2%
50Utah11,347+9.8%
51Idaho11,060+7.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Current spending of public elementary and secondary school systems divided by their fall enrollment, in US dollars, from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances (Table 8).

More on how it is measured
  • Current spending is instruction plus support services such as administration, transport and food services; it leaves out capital outlay, debt interest, payments to other school systems, and adult education and other programs outside kindergarten to grade 12.
  • The year is the fiscal year, which ends on 30 June in most states (2024 means July 2023 to June 2024).

Current dollars, not adjusted for inflation or for price differences between states. NCES publishes a similar per pupil figure from its own finance survey with a different enrollment base, so the two differ slightly.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total (US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html

MLA 9

Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total, US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 7 May 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total, US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_public_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total: US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total: US states by public school current spending per pupil, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/07
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest public school current spending per pupil?

New York, with $31,918 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest public school current spending per pupil?

Idaho, with $11,060 in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 8: per pupil amounts for current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems by state, total. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings