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 2020, at $25,519. Idaho had the lowest, at $8,272. The median was $12,740 and the figure for the United States was $13,501. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest25,519New York
Lowest8,272Idaho
Median12,74051 states
United States13,501History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 10,116 USDAlaska: 18,313 USDArizona: 8,785 USDArkansas: 10,345 USDCalifornia: 14,031 USDColorado: 11,602 USDConnecticut: 21,346 USDDelaware: 17,235 USDDistrict of Columbia: 22,856 USDFlorida: 9,937 USDGeorgia: 11,707 USDHawaii: 16,564 USDIdaho: 8,272 USDIllinois: 17,378 USDIndiana: 10,935 USDIowa: 11,958 USDKansas: 12,708 USDKentucky: 11,397 USDLouisiana: 11,843 USDMaine: 15,240 USDMaryland: 15,489 USDMassachusetts: 18,818 USDMichigan: 13,068 USDMinnesota: 13,603 USDMississippi: 9,653 USDMissouri: 11,240 USDMontana: 12,101 USDNebraska: 12,939 USDNevada: 9,814 USDNew Hampshire: 17,900 USDNew Jersey: 20,671 USDNew Mexico: 11,332 USDNew York: 25,519 USDNorth Carolina: 9,958 USDNorth Dakota: 14,242 USDOhio: 13,805 USDOklahoma: 9,508 USDOregon: 12,855 USDPennsylvania: 17,142 USDRhode Island: 16,857 USDSouth Carolina: 11,532 USDSouth Dakota: 10,208 USDTennessee: 9,896 USDTexas: 10,342 USDUtah: 8,366 USDVermont: 21,002 USDVirginia: 12,905 USDWashington: 14,556 USDWest Virginia: 12,375 USDWisconsin: 12,740 USDWyoming: 16,698 USD
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 11K
  • 11K to 13K
  • 13K to 14K
  • 14K to 17K
  • 17K and over
USD, 2020. 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, 2020

New York: 25,519 USDNew York25,519District of Columbia: 22,856 USDDistrict of Columbia22,856Connecticut: 21,346 USDConnecticut21,346Vermont: 21,002 USDVermont21,002New Jersey: 20,671 USDNew Jersey20,671Massachusetts: 18,818 USDMassachusetts18,818Alaska: 18,313 USDAlaska18,313New Hampshire: 17,900 USDNew Hampshire17,900Illinois: 17,378 USDIllinois17,378Delaware: 17,235 USDDelaware17,235Pennsylvania: 17,142 USDPennsylvania17,142Rhode Island: 16,857 USDRhode Island16,857Wyoming: 16,698 USDWyoming16,698Hawaii: 16,564 USDHawaii16,564Maryland: 15,489 USDMaryland15,489Maine: 15,240 USDMaine15,240Washington: 14,556 USDWashington14,556North Dakota: 14,242 USDNorth Dakota14,242California: 14,031 USDCalifornia14,031Ohio: 13,805 USDOhio13,805Minnesota: 13,603 USDMinnesota13,603Michigan: 13,068 USDMichigan13,068Nebraska: 12,939 USDNebraska12,939Virginia: 12,905 USDVirginia12,905Oregon: 12,855 USDOregon12,855Wisconsin: 12,740 USDWisconsin12,740Kansas: 12,708 USDKansas12,708West Virginia: 12,375 USDWest Virginia12,375Montana: 12,101 USDMontana12,101Iowa: 11,958 USDIowa11,958Louisiana: 11,843 USDLouisiana11,843Georgia: 11,707 USDGeorgia11,707Colorado: 11,602 USDColorado11,602South Carolina: 11,532 USDSouth Carolina11,532Kentucky: 11,397 USDKentucky11,397New Mexico: 11,332 USDNew Mexico11,332Missouri: 11,240 USDMissouri11,240Indiana: 10,935 USDIndiana10,935Arkansas: 10,345 USDArkansas10,345Texas: 10,342 USDTexas10,342South Dakota: 10,208 USDSouth Dakota10,208Alabama: 10,116 USDAlabama10,116North Carolina: 9,958 USDNorth Carolina9,958Florida: 9,937 USDFlorida9,937Tennessee: 9,896 USDTennessee9,896Nevada: 9,814 USDNevada9,814Mississippi: 9,653 USDMississippi9,653Oklahoma: 9,508 USDOklahoma9,508Arizona: 8,785 USDArizona8,785Utah: 8,366 USDUtah8,366Idaho: 8,272 USDIdaho8,272New York: 25,519 USDNew York25,519District of Columbia: 22,856 USDDistrict of Columbia22,856Connecticut: 21,346 USDConnecticut21,346Vermont: 21,002 USDVermont21,002New Jersey: 20,671 USDNew Jersey20,671Massachusetts: 18,818 USDMassachusetts18,818Alaska: 18,313 USDAlaska18,313New Hampshire: 17,900 USDNew Hampshire17,900Illinois: 17,378 USDIllinois17,378Delaware: 17,235 USDDelaware17,235Pennsylvania: 17,142 USDPennsylvania17,142Rhode Island: 16,857 USDRhode Island16,857Wyoming: 16,698 USDWyoming16,698Hawaii: 16,564 USDHawaii16,564Maryland: 15,489 USDMaryland15,489Maine: 15,240 USDMaine15,240Washington: 14,556 USDWashington14,556North Dakota: 14,242 USDNorth Dakota14,242California: 14,031 USDCalifornia14,031Ohio: 13,805 USDOhio13,805Minnesota: 13,603 USDMinnesota13,603Michigan: 13,068 USDMichigan13,068Nebraska: 12,939 USDNebraska12,939Virginia: 12,905 USDVirginia12,905Oregon: 12,855 USDOregon12,855Wisconsin: 12,740 USDWisconsin12,740Kansas: 12,708 USDKansas12,708West Virginia: 12,375 USDWest Virginia12,375Montana: 12,101 USDMontana12,101Iowa: 11,958 USDIowa11,958Louisiana: 11,843 USDLouisiana11,843Georgia: 11,707 USDGeorgia11,707Colorado: 11,602 USDColorado11,602South Carolina: 11,532 USDSouth Carolina11,532Kentucky: 11,397 USDKentucky11,397New Mexico: 11,332 USDNew Mexico11,332Missouri: 11,240 USDMissouri11,240Indiana: 10,935 USDIndiana10,935Arkansas: 10,345 USDArkansas10,345Texas: 10,342 USDTexas10,342South Dakota: 10,208 USDSouth Dakota10,208Alabama: 10,116 USDAlabama10,116North Carolina: 9,958 USDNorth Carolina9,958Florida: 9,937 USDFlorida9,937Tennessee: 9,896 USDTennessee9,896Nevada: 9,814 USDNevada9,814Mississippi: 9,653 USDMississippi9,653Oklahoma: 9,508 USDOklahoma9,508Arizona: 8,785 USDArizona8,785Utah: 8,366 USDUtah8,366Idaho: 8,272 USDIdaho8,272
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

RankStates2020
USD		Change on 2019
1New York25,519+1.5%
2District of Columbia22,856+1.3%
3Connecticut21,346+0.2%
4Vermont21,002+3.4%
5New Jersey20,671+0.8%
6Massachusetts18,818+6%
7Alaska18,313-0.4%
8New Hampshire17,900+2.5%
9Illinois17,378+7.1%
10Delaware17,235+5.6%
11Pennsylvania17,142+1.6%
12Rhode Island16,857+0.6%
13Wyoming16,698+2.4%
14Hawaii16,564+2.7%
15Maryland15,489+2.2%
16Maine15,240+4.3%
17Washington14,556+2.3%
18North Dakota14,242+1.7%
19California14,031-0%
20Ohio13,805+2%
21Minnesota13,603+1.6%
22Michigan13,068+2.4%
23Nebraska12,939+1.5%
24Virginia12,905+2.1%
25Oregon12,855+3.3%
26Wisconsin12,740+1.1%
27Kansas12,708+6.6%
28West Virginia12,375+3%
29Montana12,101+0.7%
30Iowa11,958+0.4%
31Louisiana11,843+0.8%
32Georgia11,707+4.3%
33Colorado11,602+5.2%
34South Carolina11,532+3.5%
35Kentucky11,397+0.9%
36New Mexico11,332+11.3%
37Missouri11,240+0.4%
38Indiana10,935+5.2%
39Arkansas10,345-0.4%
40Texas10,342+5.2%
41South Dakota10,208+0.7%
42Alabama10,116+0.4%
43North Carolina9,958+1%
44Florida9,937+3%
45Tennessee9,896+0.3%
46Nevada9,814+5%
47Mississippi9,653+4%
48Oklahoma9,508+2%
49Arizona8,785+1.8%
50Utah8,366+4.4%
51Idaho8,272+3.6%

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. (2023). 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, 2020) [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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 17 May 2023, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2023. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2023) 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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_public_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2023},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/05/17
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2020.
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 $25,519 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Idaho, with $8,272 in 2020.

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