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 2018, at $24,048. Utah had the lowest, at $7,628. The median was $11,920 and the figure for the United States was $12,559. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest24,048New York
Lowest7,628Utah
Median11,92051 states
United States12,559History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 9,696 USDAlaska: 17,726 USDArizona: 8,255 USDArkansas: 10,139 USDCalifornia: 12,143 USDColorado: 10,202 USDConnecticut: 20,635 USDDelaware: 15,639 USDDistrict of Columbia: 22,759 USDFlorida: 9,346 USDGeorgia: 10,810 USDHawaii: 15,242 USDIdaho: 7,771 USDIllinois: 15,757 USDIndiana: 10,262 USDIowa: 11,732 USDKansas: 11,653 USDKentucky: 11,110 USDLouisiana: 11,452 USDMaine: 14,152 USDMaryland: 14,762 USDMassachusetts: 17,058 USDMichigan: 12,345 USDMinnesota: 12,995 USDMississippi: 8,935 USDMissouri: 10,906 USDMontana: 11,680 USDNebraska: 12,816 USDNevada: 9,295 USDNew Hampshire: 16,893 USDNew Jersey: 19,526 USDNew Mexico: 9,582 USDNew York: 24,048 USDNorth Carolina: 9,377 USDNorth Dakota: 13,758 USDOhio: 13,027 USDOklahoma: 8,239 USDOregon: 11,920 USDPennsylvania: 16,395 USDRhode Island: 16,142 USDSouth Carolina: 10,856 USDSouth Dakota: 10,073 USDTennessee: 9,544 USDTexas: 9,606 USDUtah: 7,628 USDVermont: 19,341 USDVirginia: 12,216 USDWashington: 12,995 USDWest Virginia: 11,334 USDWisconsin: 12,285 USDWyoming: 16,224 USD
  • Under 9,600
  • 9,600 to 11K
  • 11K to 12K
  • 12K to 13K
  • 13K to 16K
  • 16K and over
USD, 2018. 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, 2018

New York: 24,048 USDNew York24,048District of Columbia: 22,759 USDDistrict of Columbia22,759Connecticut: 20,635 USDConnecticut20,635New Jersey: 19,526 USDNew Jersey19,526Vermont: 19,341 USDVermont19,341Alaska: 17,726 USDAlaska17,726Massachusetts: 17,058 USDMassachusetts17,058New Hampshire: 16,893 USDNew Hampshire16,893Pennsylvania: 16,395 USDPennsylvania16,395Wyoming: 16,224 USDWyoming16,224Rhode Island: 16,142 USDRhode Island16,142Illinois: 15,757 USDIllinois15,757Delaware: 15,639 USDDelaware15,639Hawaii: 15,242 USDHawaii15,242Maryland: 14,762 USDMaryland14,762Maine: 14,152 USDMaine14,152North Dakota: 13,758 USDNorth Dakota13,758Ohio: 13,027 USDOhio13,027Washington: 12,995 USDWashington12,995Minnesota: 12,995 USDMinnesota12,995Nebraska: 12,816 USDNebraska12,816Michigan: 12,345 USDMichigan12,345Wisconsin: 12,285 USDWisconsin12,285Virginia: 12,216 USDVirginia12,216California: 12,143 USDCalifornia12,143Oregon: 11,920 USDOregon11,920Iowa: 11,732 USDIowa11,732Montana: 11,680 USDMontana11,680Kansas: 11,653 USDKansas11,653Louisiana: 11,452 USDLouisiana11,452West Virginia: 11,334 USDWest Virginia11,334Kentucky: 11,110 USDKentucky11,110Missouri: 10,906 USDMissouri10,906South Carolina: 10,856 USDSouth Carolina10,856Georgia: 10,810 USDGeorgia10,810Indiana: 10,262 USDIndiana10,262Colorado: 10,202 USDColorado10,202Arkansas: 10,139 USDArkansas10,139South Dakota: 10,073 USDSouth Dakota10,073Alabama: 9,696 USDAlabama9,696Texas: 9,606 USDTexas9,606New Mexico: 9,582 USDNew Mexico9,582Tennessee: 9,544 USDTennessee9,544North Carolina: 9,377 USDNorth Carolina9,377Florida: 9,346 USDFlorida9,346Nevada: 9,295 USDNevada9,295Mississippi: 8,935 USDMississippi8,935Arizona: 8,255 USDArizona8,255Oklahoma: 8,239 USDOklahoma8,239Idaho: 7,771 USDIdaho7,771Utah: 7,628 USDUtah7,628New York: 24,048 USDNew York24,048District of Columbia: 22,759 USDDistrict of Columbia22,759Connecticut: 20,635 USDConnecticut20,635New Jersey: 19,526 USDNew Jersey19,526Vermont: 19,341 USDVermont19,341Alaska: 17,726 USDAlaska17,726Massachusetts: 17,058 USDMassachusetts17,058New Hampshire: 16,893 USDNew Hampshire16,893Pennsylvania: 16,395 USDPennsylvania16,395Wyoming: 16,224 USDWyoming16,224Rhode Island: 16,142 USDRhode Island16,142Illinois: 15,757 USDIllinois15,757Delaware: 15,639 USDDelaware15,639Hawaii: 15,242 USDHawaii15,242Maryland: 14,762 USDMaryland14,762Maine: 14,152 USDMaine14,152North Dakota: 13,758 USDNorth Dakota13,758Ohio: 13,027 USDOhio13,027Washington: 12,995 USDWashington12,995Minnesota: 12,995 USDMinnesota12,995Nebraska: 12,816 USDNebraska12,816Michigan: 12,345 USDMichigan12,345Wisconsin: 12,285 USDWisconsin12,285Virginia: 12,216 USDVirginia12,216California: 12,143 USDCalifornia12,143Oregon: 11,920 USDOregon11,920Iowa: 11,732 USDIowa11,732Montana: 11,680 USDMontana11,680Kansas: 11,653 USDKansas11,653Louisiana: 11,452 USDLouisiana11,452West Virginia: 11,334 USDWest Virginia11,334Kentucky: 11,110 USDKentucky11,110Missouri: 10,906 USDMissouri10,906South Carolina: 10,856 USDSouth Carolina10,856Georgia: 10,810 USDGeorgia10,810Indiana: 10,262 USDIndiana10,262Colorado: 10,202 USDColorado10,202Arkansas: 10,139 USDArkansas10,139South Dakota: 10,073 USDSouth Dakota10,073Alabama: 9,696 USDAlabama9,696Texas: 9,606 USDTexas9,606New Mexico: 9,582 USDNew Mexico9,582Tennessee: 9,544 USDTennessee9,544North Carolina: 9,377 USDNorth Carolina9,377Florida: 9,346 USDFlorida9,346Nevada: 9,295 USDNevada9,295Mississippi: 8,935 USDMississippi8,935Arizona: 8,255 USDArizona8,255Oklahoma: 8,239 USDOklahoma8,239Idaho: 7,771 USDIdaho7,771Utah: 7,628 USDUtah7,628
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

RankStates2018
USD		Change on 2017
1New York24,048+4.1%
2District of Columbia22,759+3.6%
3Connecticut20,635+6.8%
4New Jersey19,526+3.2%
5Vermont19,341+5.7%
6Alaska17,726-0.6%
7Massachusetts17,058+5.3%
8New Hampshire16,893+7.7%
9Pennsylvania16,395+3.8%
10Wyoming16,224-1.9%
11Rhode Island16,142+1.1%
12Illinois15,757+2.7%
13Delaware15,639+2.2%
14Hawaii15,242+6.4%
15Maryland14,762-0.6%
16Maine14,152+3.4%
17North Dakota13,758-0%
18Ohio13,027+3%
19Washington12,995+8.4%
20Minnesota12,995+2.7%
21Nebraska12,816+1.9%
22Michigan12,345+3.7%
23Wisconsin12,285+2.6%
24Virginia12,216+2.8%
25California12,143-0%
26Oregon11,920+5.8%
27Iowa11,732+2.4%
28Montana11,680+1.9%
29Kansas11,653+6.3%
30Louisiana11,452+2.3%
31West Virginia11,334-1.9%
32Kentucky11,110+9.8%
33Missouri10,906+3%
34South Carolina10,856+2.5%
35Georgia10,810+5.9%
36Indiana10,262+2.2%
37Colorado10,202+4%
38Arkansas10,139+1.7%
39South Dakota10,073+1.3%
40Alabama9,696+1.9%
41Texas9,606+2.5%
42New Mexico9,582-3%
43Tennessee9,544+3.9%
44North Carolina9,377+3.4%
45Florida9,346+3%
46Nevada9,295-0.3%
47Mississippi8,935+1.9%
48Arizona8,255+3.1%
49Oklahoma8,239+3.5%
50Idaho7,771+3.8%
51Utah7,628+6.3%

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. (2021). 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, 2018) [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, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 18 May 2021, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2021) 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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_public_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2021},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/05/18
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2018.
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 $24,048 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Utah, with $7,628 in 2018.

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