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

US states by public school current spending per pupil

New York had the highest public school current spending per pupil of 51 states in 2015, at $21,206. Utah had the lowest, at $6,575. The median was $11,010 and the figure for the United States was $11,392. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest21,206New York
Lowest6,575Utah
Median11,01051 states
United States11,392History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 9,128 USDAlaska: 20,172 USDArizona: 7,489 USDArkansas: 9,694 USDCalifornia: 10,467 USDColorado: 9,245 USDConnecticut: 18,377 USDDelaware: 14,120 USDDistrict of Columbia: 19,396 USDFlorida: 8,881 USDGeorgia: 9,427 USDHawaii: 12,855 USDIdaho: 6,923 USDIllinois: 13,755 USDIndiana: 9,687 USDIowa: 10,944 USDKansas: 10,040 USDKentucky: 9,630 USDLouisiana: 11,010 USDMaine: 13,257 USDMaryland: 14,192 USDMassachusetts: 15,592 USDMichigan: 11,482 USDMinnesota: 11,949 USDMississippi: 8,456 USDMissouri: 10,147 USDMontana: 11,033 USDNebraska: 11,946 USDNevada: 8,615 USDNew Hampshire: 14,697 USDNew Jersey: 18,235 USDNew Mexico: 9,752 USDNew York: 21,206 USDNorth Carolina: 8,687 USDNorth Dakota: 13,320 USDOhio: 11,637 USDOklahoma: 8,082 USDOregon: 10,442 USDPennsylvania: 14,717 USDRhode Island: 15,179 USDSouth Carolina: 9,953 USDSouth Dakota: 8,937 USDTennessee: 8,723 USDTexas: 8,861 USDUtah: 6,575 USDVermont: 18,039 USDVirginia: 11,237 USDWashington: 10,735 USDWest Virginia: 11,359 USDWisconsin: 11,375 USDWyoming: 16,055 USD
  • Under 8,900
  • 8,900 to 9,700
  • 9,700 to 11K
  • 11K to 12K
  • 12K to 15K
  • 15K and over
USD, 2015. 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, 2015

New York: 21,206 USDNew York21,206Alaska: 20,172 USDAlaska20,172District of Columbia: 19,396 USDDistrict of Columbia19,396Connecticut: 18,377 USDConnecticut18,377New Jersey: 18,235 USDNew Jersey18,235Vermont: 18,039 USDVermont18,039Wyoming: 16,055 USDWyoming16,055Massachusetts: 15,592 USDMassachusetts15,592Rhode Island: 15,179 USDRhode Island15,179Pennsylvania: 14,717 USDPennsylvania14,717New Hampshire: 14,697 USDNew Hampshire14,697Maryland: 14,192 USDMaryland14,192Delaware: 14,120 USDDelaware14,120Illinois: 13,755 USDIllinois13,755North Dakota: 13,320 USDNorth Dakota13,320Maine: 13,257 USDMaine13,257Hawaii: 12,855 USDHawaii12,855Minnesota: 11,949 USDMinnesota11,949Nebraska: 11,946 USDNebraska11,946Ohio: 11,637 USDOhio11,637Michigan: 11,482 USDMichigan11,482Wisconsin: 11,375 USDWisconsin11,375West Virginia: 11,359 USDWest Virginia11,359Virginia: 11,237 USDVirginia11,237Montana: 11,033 USDMontana11,033Louisiana: 11,010 USDLouisiana11,010Iowa: 10,944 USDIowa10,944Washington: 10,735 USDWashington10,735California: 10,467 USDCalifornia10,467Oregon: 10,442 USDOregon10,442Missouri: 10,147 USDMissouri10,147Kansas: 10,040 USDKansas10,040South Carolina: 9,953 USDSouth Carolina9,953New Mexico: 9,752 USDNew Mexico9,752Arkansas: 9,694 USDArkansas9,694Indiana: 9,687 USDIndiana9,687Kentucky: 9,630 USDKentucky9,630Georgia: 9,427 USDGeorgia9,427Colorado: 9,245 USDColorado9,245Alabama: 9,128 USDAlabama9,128South Dakota: 8,937 USDSouth Dakota8,937Florida: 8,881 USDFlorida8,881Texas: 8,861 USDTexas8,861Tennessee: 8,723 USDTennessee8,723North Carolina: 8,687 USDNorth Carolina8,687Nevada: 8,615 USDNevada8,615Mississippi: 8,456 USDMississippi8,456Oklahoma: 8,082 USDOklahoma8,082Arizona: 7,489 USDArizona7,489Idaho: 6,923 USDIdaho6,923Utah: 6,575 USDUtah6,575New York: 21,206 USDNew York21,206Alaska: 20,172 USDAlaska20,172District of Columbia: 19,396 USDDistrict of Columbia19,396Connecticut: 18,377 USDConnecticut18,377New Jersey: 18,235 USDNew Jersey18,235Vermont: 18,039 USDVermont18,039Wyoming: 16,055 USDWyoming16,055Massachusetts: 15,592 USDMassachusetts15,592Rhode Island: 15,179 USDRhode Island15,179Pennsylvania: 14,717 USDPennsylvania14,717New Hampshire: 14,697 USDNew Hampshire14,697Maryland: 14,192 USDMaryland14,192Delaware: 14,120 USDDelaware14,120Illinois: 13,755 USDIllinois13,755North Dakota: 13,320 USDNorth Dakota13,320Maine: 13,257 USDMaine13,257Hawaii: 12,855 USDHawaii12,855Minnesota: 11,949 USDMinnesota11,949Nebraska: 11,946 USDNebraska11,946Ohio: 11,637 USDOhio11,637Michigan: 11,482 USDMichigan11,482Wisconsin: 11,375 USDWisconsin11,375West Virginia: 11,359 USDWest Virginia11,359Virginia: 11,237 USDVirginia11,237Montana: 11,033 USDMontana11,033Louisiana: 11,010 USDLouisiana11,010Iowa: 10,944 USDIowa10,944Washington: 10,735 USDWashington10,735California: 10,467 USDCalifornia10,467Oregon: 10,442 USDOregon10,442Missouri: 10,147 USDMissouri10,147Kansas: 10,040 USDKansas10,040South Carolina: 9,953 USDSouth Carolina9,953New Mexico: 9,752 USDNew Mexico9,752Arkansas: 9,694 USDArkansas9,694Indiana: 9,687 USDIndiana9,687Kentucky: 9,630 USDKentucky9,630Georgia: 9,427 USDGeorgia9,427Colorado: 9,245 USDColorado9,245Alabama: 9,128 USDAlabama9,128South Dakota: 8,937 USDSouth Dakota8,937Florida: 8,881 USDFlorida8,881Texas: 8,861 USDTexas8,861Tennessee: 8,723 USDTennessee8,723North Carolina: 8,687 USDNorth Carolina8,687Nevada: 8,615 USDNevada8,615Mississippi: 8,456 USDMississippi8,456Oklahoma: 8,082 USDOklahoma8,082Arizona: 7,489 USDArizona7,489Idaho: 6,923 USDIdaho6,923Utah: 6,575 USDUtah6,575
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

RankStates2015
USD		Change on 2014
1New York21,206+2.9%
2Alaska20,172+9.5%
3District of Columbia19,396+4.9%
4Connecticut18,377+3.6%
5New Jersey18,235+1.9%
6Vermont18,039+6.2%
7Wyoming16,055+1.6%
8Massachusetts15,592+3.3%
9Rhode Island15,179+2.8%
10Pennsylvania14,717+5.4%
11New Hampshire14,697+2.5%
12Maryland14,192+1.3%
13Delaware14,120+1.3%
14Illinois13,755+5.2%
15North Dakota13,320+7.8%
16Maine13,257+4.3%
17Hawaii12,855+3.7%
18Minnesota11,949+4.2%
19Nebraska11,946+1.9%
20Ohio11,637+2.5%
21Michigan11,482+3.3%
22Wisconsin11,375+1.7%
23West Virginia11,359+1%
24Virginia11,237+2.4%
25Montana11,033+0.1%
26Louisiana11,010+2.4%
27Iowa10,944+2.6%
28Washington10,735+5.2%
29California10,467+9.1%
30Oregon10,442+5%
31Missouri10,147+2.7%
32Kansas10,040+1%
33South Carolina9,953+2.3%
34New Mexico9,752+8.3%
35Arkansas9,694+0.8%
36Indiana9,687+1.5%
37Kentucky9,630+3.4%
38Georgia9,427+2.4%
39Colorado9,245+2.9%
40Alabama9,128+1.1%
41South Dakota8,937+0.6%
42Florida8,881+1.4%
43Texas8,861+3.1%
44Tennessee8,723+1.1%
45North Carolina8,687+2.1%
46Nevada8,615+2.4%
47Mississippi8,456+2.3%
48Oklahoma8,082+3.2%
49Arizona7,489-0.5%
50Idaho6,923+4.6%
51Utah6,575+1.1%

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. (2018). 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, 2015) [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, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 21 May 2018, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. 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, 2015. 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?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) 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, 2015 [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?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_public_2015,
  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, 2015}},
  year = {2018},
  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?period=2015. 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, 2015
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/05/21
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?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2015.
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 $21,206 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Utah, with $6,575 in 2015.

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