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 2021, at $26,571. Idaho had the lowest, at $9,053. The median was $13,597 and the figure for the United States was $14,358. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest26,571New York
Lowest9,053Idaho
Median13,59751 states
United States14,358History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 10,683 USDAlaska: 19,540 USDArizona: 9,611 USDArkansas: 11,266 USDCalifornia: 14,985 USDColorado: 12,876 USDConnecticut: 22,769 USDDelaware: 17,448 USDDistrict of Columbia: 24,535 USDFlorida: 10,401 USDGeorgia: 12,145 USDHawaii: 16,550 USDIdaho: 9,053 USDIllinois: 18,316 USDIndiana: 11,538 USDIowa: 12,695 USDKansas: 13,436 USDKentucky: 12,126 USDLouisiana: 13,397 USDMaine: 17,671 USDMaryland: 16,417 USDMassachusetts: 20,376 USDMichigan: 14,085 USDMinnesota: 14,378 USDMississippi: 10,082 USDMissouri: 11,865 USDMontana: 13,299 USDNebraska: 13,826 USDNevada: 10,450 USDNew Hampshire: 19,443 USDNew Jersey: 22,160 USDNew Mexico: 12,127 USDNew York: 26,571 USDNorth Carolina: 10,655 USDNorth Dakota: 15,140 USDOhio: 14,613 USDOklahoma: 10,498 USDOregon: 13,875 USDPennsylvania: 17,884 USDRhode Island: 18,366 USDSouth Carolina: 12,496 USDSouth Dakota: 10,952 USDTennessee: 10,507 USDTexas: 11,005 USDUtah: 9,095 USDVermont: 23,586 USDVirginia: 13,835 USDWashington: 15,570 USDWest Virginia: 13,059 USDWisconsin: 13,597 USDWyoming: 18,144 USD
  • Under 11K
  • 11K to 12K
  • 12K to 14K
  • 14K to 15K
  • 15K to 18K
  • 18K and over
USD, 2021. 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, 2021

New York: 26,571 USDNew York26,571District of Columbia: 24,535 USDDistrict of Columbia24,535Vermont: 23,586 USDVermont23,586Connecticut: 22,769 USDConnecticut22,769New Jersey: 22,160 USDNew Jersey22,160Massachusetts: 20,376 USDMassachusetts20,376Alaska: 19,540 USDAlaska19,540New Hampshire: 19,443 USDNew Hampshire19,443Rhode Island: 18,366 USDRhode Island18,366Illinois: 18,316 USDIllinois18,316Wyoming: 18,144 USDWyoming18,144Pennsylvania: 17,884 USDPennsylvania17,884Maine: 17,671 USDMaine17,671Delaware: 17,448 USDDelaware17,448Hawaii: 16,550 USDHawaii16,550Maryland: 16,417 USDMaryland16,417Washington: 15,570 USDWashington15,570North Dakota: 15,140 USDNorth Dakota15,140California: 14,985 USDCalifornia14,985Ohio: 14,613 USDOhio14,613Minnesota: 14,378 USDMinnesota14,378Michigan: 14,085 USDMichigan14,085Oregon: 13,875 USDOregon13,875Virginia: 13,835 USDVirginia13,835Nebraska: 13,826 USDNebraska13,826Wisconsin: 13,597 USDWisconsin13,597Kansas: 13,436 USDKansas13,436Louisiana: 13,397 USDLouisiana13,397Montana: 13,299 USDMontana13,299West Virginia: 13,059 USDWest Virginia13,059Colorado: 12,876 USDColorado12,876Iowa: 12,695 USDIowa12,695South Carolina: 12,496 USDSouth Carolina12,496Georgia: 12,145 USDGeorgia12,145New Mexico: 12,127 USDNew Mexico12,127Kentucky: 12,126 USDKentucky12,126Missouri: 11,865 USDMissouri11,865Indiana: 11,538 USDIndiana11,538Arkansas: 11,266 USDArkansas11,266Texas: 11,005 USDTexas11,005South Dakota: 10,952 USDSouth Dakota10,952Alabama: 10,683 USDAlabama10,683North Carolina: 10,655 USDNorth Carolina10,655Tennessee: 10,507 USDTennessee10,507Oklahoma: 10,498 USDOklahoma10,498Nevada: 10,450 USDNevada10,450Florida: 10,401 USDFlorida10,401Mississippi: 10,082 USDMississippi10,082Arizona: 9,611 USDArizona9,611Utah: 9,095 USDUtah9,095Idaho: 9,053 USDIdaho9,053New York: 26,571 USDNew York26,571District of Columbia: 24,535 USDDistrict of Columbia24,535Vermont: 23,586 USDVermont23,586Connecticut: 22,769 USDConnecticut22,769New Jersey: 22,160 USDNew Jersey22,160Massachusetts: 20,376 USDMassachusetts20,376Alaska: 19,540 USDAlaska19,540New Hampshire: 19,443 USDNew Hampshire19,443Rhode Island: 18,366 USDRhode Island18,366Illinois: 18,316 USDIllinois18,316Wyoming: 18,144 USDWyoming18,144Pennsylvania: 17,884 USDPennsylvania17,884Maine: 17,671 USDMaine17,671Delaware: 17,448 USDDelaware17,448Hawaii: 16,550 USDHawaii16,550Maryland: 16,417 USDMaryland16,417Washington: 15,570 USDWashington15,570North Dakota: 15,140 USDNorth Dakota15,140California: 14,985 USDCalifornia14,985Ohio: 14,613 USDOhio14,613Minnesota: 14,378 USDMinnesota14,378Michigan: 14,085 USDMichigan14,085Oregon: 13,875 USDOregon13,875Virginia: 13,835 USDVirginia13,835Nebraska: 13,826 USDNebraska13,826Wisconsin: 13,597 USDWisconsin13,597Kansas: 13,436 USDKansas13,436Louisiana: 13,397 USDLouisiana13,397Montana: 13,299 USDMontana13,299West Virginia: 13,059 USDWest Virginia13,059Colorado: 12,876 USDColorado12,876Iowa: 12,695 USDIowa12,695South Carolina: 12,496 USDSouth Carolina12,496Georgia: 12,145 USDGeorgia12,145New Mexico: 12,127 USDNew Mexico12,127Kentucky: 12,126 USDKentucky12,126Missouri: 11,865 USDMissouri11,865Indiana: 11,538 USDIndiana11,538Arkansas: 11,266 USDArkansas11,266Texas: 11,005 USDTexas11,005South Dakota: 10,952 USDSouth Dakota10,952Alabama: 10,683 USDAlabama10,683North Carolina: 10,655 USDNorth Carolina10,655Tennessee: 10,507 USDTennessee10,507Oklahoma: 10,498 USDOklahoma10,498Nevada: 10,450 USDNevada10,450Florida: 10,401 USDFlorida10,401Mississippi: 10,082 USDMississippi10,082Arizona: 9,611 USDArizona9,611Utah: 9,095 USDUtah9,095Idaho: 9,053 USDIdaho9,053
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

RankStates2021
USD		Change on 2020
1New York26,571+4.1%
2District of Columbia24,535+7.3%
3Vermont23,586+12.3%
4Connecticut22,769+6.7%
5New Jersey22,160+7.2%
6Massachusetts20,376+8.3%
7Alaska19,540+6.7%
8New Hampshire19,443+8.6%
9Rhode Island18,366+9%
10Illinois18,316+5.4%
11Wyoming18,144+8.7%
12Pennsylvania17,884+4.3%
13Maine17,671+16%
14Delaware17,448+1.2%
15Hawaii16,550-0.1%
16Maryland16,417+6%
17Washington15,570+7%
18North Dakota15,140+6.3%
19California14,985+6.8%
20Ohio14,613+5.9%
21Minnesota14,378+5.7%
22Michigan14,085+7.8%
23Oregon13,875+7.9%
24Virginia13,835+7.2%
25Nebraska13,826+6.9%
26Wisconsin13,597+6.7%
27Kansas13,436+5.7%
28Louisiana13,397+13.1%
29Montana13,299+9.9%
30West Virginia13,059+5.5%
31Colorado12,876+11%
32Iowa12,695+6.2%
33South Carolina12,496+8.4%
34Georgia12,145+3.7%
35New Mexico12,127+7%
36Kentucky12,126+6.4%
37Missouri11,865+5.6%
38Indiana11,538+5.5%
39Arkansas11,266+8.9%
40Texas11,005+6.4%
41South Dakota10,952+7.3%
42Alabama10,683+5.6%
43North Carolina10,655+7%
44Tennessee10,507+6.2%
45Oklahoma10,498+10.4%
46Nevada10,450+6.5%
47Florida10,401+4.7%
48Mississippi10,082+4.4%
49Arizona9,611+9.4%
50Utah9,095+8.7%
51Idaho9,053+9.4%

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. (2024). 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, 2021) [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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 23 Apr. 2024, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances/data/tables.html. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) 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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_public_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2024},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/04/23
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/public-school-spending-per-pupil/us-states?period=2021.
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 $26,571 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Idaho, with $9,053 in 2021.

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