U.S. Public School Spending per Student by State, 2026
State ranking of current public elementary-secondary spending per pupil, using the latest final U.S. Census Bureau school finance release available for a 2026 reference page.
Values are nominal FY2024 dollars per enrolled pupil. FY2025 state values are not presented because the full final 50-state Census table is not available in the same source format.
Executive Snapshot
The national figure is the Census current spending per pupil value for public pre-K through grade 12 systems in FY2024. Twenty-one jurisdictions are above the national average and 30 are below it.
State Spending Map Grid and Ranking Chart
The map grid groups states into five value bands. The chart ranks all 51 jurisdictions by FY2024 current spending per pupil.
FY2024 Spending Band by State
Five quantile bands based on current spending per pupil.
The grid groups each jurisdiction by spending band rather than geographic position. Dollar values are nominal and not adjusted for regional prices.
Full State Ranking
Current spending per pupil, FY2024.
FY2024 values are shown in descending order. The table below adds FY2022–FY2024 values and change measures for all 51 jurisdictions.
Ranking midpoint
- The median jurisdiction is rank 26: Nebraska at $16,147.
- The simple average across the 51 jurisdictions is $17,836, compared with the national aggregate figure of $17,619.
Full State Spending Table
Complete ranking for 50 states and the District of Columbia. The ranking column is based on FY2024 current spending per pupil only.
| Rank | State | Code | Region | FY2024 $/pupil | FY2023 $/pupil | FY2022 $/pupil | 1-year change | 2019–24 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | NY | Northeast | $31,918 | $30,012 | $29,873 | 6.4% | 27.0% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | DC | South | $31,529 | $31,629 | $27,425 | -0.3% | 39.7% |
| 3 | Vermont | VT | Northeast | $28,818 | $26,345 | $24,608 | 9.4% | 41.9% |
| 4 | New Jersey | NJ | Northeast | $27,234 | $26,280 | $25,099 | 3.6% | 32.8% |
| 5 | Connecticut | CT | Northeast | $26,316 | $25,081 | $24,453 | 4.9% | 23.5% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | MA | Northeast | $24,429 | $22,947 | $21,906 | 6.5% | 37.6% |
| 7 | Hawaii | HI | West | $23,878 | $20,056 | $17,420 | 19.1% | 48.0% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | NH | Northeast | $22,978 | $21,731 | $20,487 | 5.7% | 31.6% |
| 9 | Delaware | DE | South | $22,201 | $21,340 | $19,357 | 4.0% | 36.1% |
| 10 | Rhode Island | RI | Northeast | $22,110 | $21,182 | $19,962 | 4.4% | 32.0% |
| 11 | Illinois | IL | Midwest | $21,776 | $20,253 | $18,927 | 7.5% | 34.2% |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | PA | Northeast | $21,091 | $20,056 | $19,186 | 5.2% | 25.1% |
| 13 | Alaska | AK | West | $21,004 | $20,340 | $20,191 | 3.3% | 14.2% |
| 14 | California | CA | West | $20,791 | $18,798 | $17,049 | 10.6% | 48.1% |
| 15 | Wyoming | WY | West | $20,521 | $19,324 | $18,529 | 6.2% | 25.9% |
| 16 | Maryland | MD | South | $20,208 | $18,887 | $17,753 | 7.0% | 33.4% |
| 17 | Maine | ME | Northeast | $19,962 | $18,797 | $17,885 | 6.2% | 36.6% |
| 18 | Washington | WA | West | $18,564 | $18,181 | $17,119 | 2.1% | 30.5% |
| 19 | Michigan | MI | Midwest | $18,314 | $17,535 | $15,719 | 4.4% | 43.6% |
| 20 | Oregon | OR | West | $18,083 | $17,161 | $15,754 | 5.4% | 45.2% |
| 21 | New Mexico | NM | West | $17,664 | $15,693 | $13,260 | 12.6% | 73.6% |
| 22 | Ohio | OH | Midwest | $17,257 | $16,476 | $15,583 | 4.7% | 27.5% |
| 23 | Virginia | VA | South | $17,104 | $16,098 | $15,069 | 6.3% | 35.3% |
| 24 | North Dakota | ND | Midwest | $17,102 | $16,114 | $15,843 | 6.1% | 22.1% |
| 25 | Minnesota | MN | Midwest | $17,098 | $16,117 | $15,441 | 6.1% | 27.7% |
| 26 | Nebraska | NE | Midwest | $16,147 | $15,200 | $14,285 | 6.2% | 26.7% |
| 27 | Wisconsin | WI | Midwest | $15,952 | $14,882 | $14,505 | 7.2% | 26.6% |
| 28 | Colorado | CO | West | $15,908 | $14,858 | $13,422 | 7.1% | 44.2% |
| 29 | Georgia | GA | South | $15,833 | $14,414 | $13,619 | 9.8% | 41.0% |
| 30 | West Virginia | WV | South | $15,640 | $14,575 | $13,858 | 7.3% | 30.2% |
| 31 | Louisiana | LA | South | $15,581 | $14,645 | $14,928 | 6.4% | 32.5% |
| 32 | Kansas | KS | Midwest | $15,558 | $14,847 | $14,408 | 4.8% | 30.5% |
| 33 | South Carolina | SC | South | $15,060 | $13,957 | $13,387 | 7.9% | 35.2% |
| 34 | Nevada | NV | West | $14,812 | $11,673 | $11,677 | 26.9% | 58.5% |
| 35 | Kentucky | KY | South | $14,596 | $14,633 | $13,549 | -0.3% | 29.3% |
| 36 | Iowa | IA | Midwest | $14,369 | $13,792 | $13,259 | 4.2% | 20.7% |
| 37 | Missouri | MO | Midwest | $14,241 | $13,472 | $12,631 | 5.7% | 27.1% |
| 38 | Arkansas | AR | South | $13,873 | $12,738 | $12,159 | 8.9% | 33.5% |
| 39 | Montana | MT | West | $13,656 | $13,771 | $13,582 | -0.8% | 13.6% |
| 40 | Alabama | AL | South | $13,627 | $12,766 | $11,819 | 6.7% | 35.2% |
| 41 | Indiana | IN | Midwest | $13,622 | $13,121 | $12,322 | 3.8% | 31.0% |
| 42 | North Carolina | NC | South | $12,995 | $12,492 | $12,298 | 4.0% | 31.8% |
| 43 | Texas | TX | South | $12,895 | $12,304 | $11,803 | 4.8% | 31.2% |
| 44 | Tennessee | TN | South | $12,882 | $12,197 | $11,317 | 5.6% | 30.5% |
| 45 | South Dakota | SD | Midwest | $12,828 | $12,005 | $11,564 | 6.9% | 26.5% |
| 46 | Florida | FL | South | $12,693 | $11,862 | $11,076 | 7.0% | 31.6% |
| 47 | Mississippi | MS | South | $12,324 | $12,093 | $10,984 | 1.9% | 32.7% |
| 48 | Oklahoma | OK | South | $12,162 | $11,155 | $10,890 | 9.0% | 30.5% |
| 49 | Arizona | AZ | West | $12,003 | $11,297 | $10,315 | 6.2% | 39.2% |
| 50 | Utah | UT | West | $11,347 | $10,333 | $9,552 | 9.8% | 41.6% |
| 51 | Idaho | ID | West | $11,060 | $10,291 | $9,670 | 7.5% | 38.5% |
Recent and long-term movement
- Nevada has the largest FY2024 one-year increase at 26.9%.
- Montana has the lowest FY2024 one-year movement at -0.8%.
- New Mexico has the largest 2019–2024 percentage rise at 73.6%.
Distribution, Trend, and Movement Tables
Supporting sections summarize the top and bottom groups, regional spread, selected trend lines, and year-over-year movement.
Top and Bottom 10 Spotlight
Two groups from the FY2024 ranking.
The spotlight chart is a visual summary. The full 51-jurisdiction ranking remains in the main table.
| Group | Rank | State | FY2024 $/pupil | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest 10 | 1 | New York | $31,918 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 2 | District of Columbia | $31,529 | South |
| Highest 10 | 3 | Vermont | $28,818 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 4 | New Jersey | $27,234 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 5 | Connecticut | $26,316 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 6 | Massachusetts | $24,429 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 7 | Hawaii | $23,878 | West |
| Highest 10 | 8 | New Hampshire | $22,978 | Northeast |
| Highest 10 | 9 | Delaware | $22,201 | South |
| Highest 10 | 10 | Rhode Island | $22,110 | Northeast |
| Lowest 10 | 51 | Idaho | $11,060 | West |
| Lowest 10 | 50 | Utah | $11,347 | West |
| Lowest 10 | 49 | Arizona | $12,003 | West |
| Lowest 10 | 48 | Oklahoma | $12,162 | South |
| Lowest 10 | 47 | Mississippi | $12,324 | South |
| Lowest 10 | 46 | Florida | $12,693 | South |
| Lowest 10 | 45 | South Dakota | $12,828 | Midwest |
| Lowest 10 | 44 | Tennessee | $12,882 | South |
| Lowest 10 | 43 | Texas | $12,895 | South |
| Lowest 10 | 42 | North Carolina | $12,995 | South |
Northeast share of the top group
- 7 of the 10 highest-spending jurisdictions are in the Northeast.
Regional Distribution
Unweighted regional average, median, minimum, and maximum across jurisdictions.
Regional averages are unweighted across jurisdictions; minimum and maximum values show the spread within each Census region.
| Region | Jurisdictions | Average | Median | Lowest state value | Highest state value | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 9 | $24,984 | $24,429 | $19,962 | $31,918 | $11,956 |
| West | 13 | $16,869 | $17,664 | $11,060 | $23,878 | $12,818 |
| Midwest | 12 | $16,189 | $16,050 | $12,828 | $21,776 | $8,948 |
| South | 17 | $15,953 | $14,596 | $12,162 | $31,529 | $19,367 |
Regional spread
- The Northeast has the highest unweighted regional average at $24,984.
- The South has the widest regional range at $19,367.
Selected Spending Trend
FY2019–FY2024 current spending per pupil; up to six jurisdictions can be displayed at once.
Trend data come from Census Table 20. Values are nominal dollars and use the Census per-pupil denominator for each fiscal year.
| Jurisdiction | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | 2019–24 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $13,187 | $13,501 | $14,358 | $15,630 | $16,526 | $17,619 | 33.6% |
| California | $14,034 | $14,031 | $14,985 | $17,049 | $18,798 | $20,791 | 48.1% |
| New York | $25,139 | $25,519 | $26,571 | $29,873 | $30,012 | $31,918 | 27.0% |
| Texas | $9,827 | $10,342 | $11,005 | $11,803 | $12,304 | $12,895 | 31.2% |
| Idaho | $7,985 | $8,272 | $9,053 | $9,670 | $10,291 | $11,060 | 38.5% |
| District of Columbia | $22,562 | $22,856 | $24,535 | $27,425 | $31,629 | $31,529 | 39.7% |
Movement since FY2019
- The national series rises from $13,187 in FY2019 to $17,619 in FY2024.
- California rises from $14,034 to $20,791 over the same period.
Year-on-Year Change Heatmap
Annual percentage movement in current spending per pupil, FY2020–FY2024.
| State | Rank | FY2024 YoY | FY2023 YoY | FY2022 YoY | FY2021 YoY | FY2020 YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1 | 6.4% | 0.5% | 12.4% | 4.1% | 1.5% |
| District of Columbia | 2 | -0.3% | 15.3% | 11.8% | 7.3% | 1.3% |
| Vermont | 3 | 9.4% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 12.3% | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 4 | 3.6% | 4.7% | 13.3% | 7.2% | 0.8% |
| Connecticut | 5 | 4.9% | 2.6% | 7.4% | 6.7% | 0.2% |
| Massachusetts | 6 | 6.5% | 4.8% | 7.5% | 8.3% | 6.0% |
| Hawaii | 7 | 19.1% | 15.1% | 5.3% | -0.1% | 2.7% |
| New Hampshire | 8 | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 8.6% | 2.5% |
| Delaware | 9 | 4.0% | 10.2% | 10.9% | 1.2% | 5.6% |
| Rhode Island | 10 | 4.4% | 6.1% | 8.7% | 9.0% | 0.6% |
| Illinois | 11 | 7.5% | 7.0% | 3.3% | 5.4% | 7.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 5.2% | 4.5% | 7.3% | 4.3% | 1.6% |
| Alaska | 13 | 3.3% | 0.7% | 3.3% | 6.7% | -0.4% |
| California | 14 | 10.6% | 10.3% | 13.8% | 6.8% | (Z) |
| Wyoming | 15 | 6.2% | 4.3% | 2.1% | 8.7% | 2.4% |
| Maryland | 16 | 7.0% | 6.4% | 8.1% | 6.0% | 2.2% |
| Maine | 17 | 6.2% | 5.1% | 1.2% | 16.0% | 4.3% |
| Washington | 18 | 2.1% | 6.2% | 10.0% | 7.0% | 2.3% |
| Michigan | 19 | 4.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 7.8% | 2.4% |
| Oregon | 20 | 5.4% | 8.9% | 13.5% | 7.9% | 3.3% |
| New Mexico | 21 | 12.6% | 18.4% | 9.3% | 7.0% | 11.3% |
| Ohio | 22 | 4.7% | 5.7% | 6.6% | 5.9% | 2.0% |
| Virginia | 23 | 6.3% | 6.8% | 8.9% | 7.2% | 2.1% |
| North Dakota | 24 | 6.1% | 1.7% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 1.7% |
| Minnesota | 25 | 6.1% | 4.4% | 7.4% | 5.7% | 1.6% |
| Nebraska | 26 | 6.2% | 6.4% | 3.3% | 6.9% | 1.5% |
| Wisconsin | 27 | 7.2% | 2.6% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 1.1% |
| Colorado | 28 | 7.1% | 10.7% | 4.2% | 11.0% | 5.2% |
| Georgia | 29 | 9.8% | 5.8% | 12.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| West Virginia | 30 | 7.3% | 5.2% | 6.1% | 5.5% | 3.0% |
| Louisiana | 31 | 6.4% | -1.9% | 11.4% | 13.1% | 0.8% |
| Kansas | 32 | 4.8% | 3.0% | 7.2% | 5.8% | 6.5% |
| South Carolina | 33 | 7.9% | 4.3% | 7.1% | 8.4% | 3.5% |
| Nevada | 34 | 26.9% | (Z) | 11.8% | 6.5% | 5.0% |
| Kentucky | 35 | -0.3% | 8.0% | 11.7% | 6.4% | 0.9% |
| Iowa | 36 | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.4% | 6.2% | 0.4% |
| Missouri | 37 | 5.7% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.6% | 0.4% |
| Arkansas | 38 | 8.9% | 4.8% | 7.9% | 8.9% | -0.4% |
| Montana | 39 | -0.8% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 9.9% | 0.7% |
| Alabama | 40 | 6.7% | 8.0% | 10.6% | 5.6% | 0.4% |
| Indiana | 41 | 3.8% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| North Carolina | 42 | 4.0% | 1.6% | 15.4% | 7.0% | 1.0% |
| Texas | 43 | 4.8% | 4.2% | 7.2% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Tennessee | 44 | 5.6% | 7.8% | 7.7% | 6.2% | 0.3% |
| South Dakota | 45 | 6.9% | 3.8% | 5.6% | 7.3% | 0.7% |
| Florida | 46 | 7.0% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 3.0% |
| Mississippi | 47 | 1.9% | 10.1% | 8.9% | 4.4% | 4.0% |
| Oklahoma | 48 | 9.0% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 10.4% | 2.0% |
| Arizona | 49 | 6.2% | 9.5% | 7.3% | 9.4% | 1.8% |
| Utah | 50 | 9.8% | 8.2% | 5.0% | 8.7% | 4.4% |
| Idaho | 51 | 7.5% | 6.4% | 6.8% | 9.4% | 3.6% |
The heatmap uses blue for negative or near-flat movement and orange for larger positive movement. California FY2020 is marked (Z), meaning zero or rounded to zero.
Year-to-year movement
- Most jurisdictions show positive movement in FY2024.
- FY2022 and FY2023 contain more high-change cells than FY2020.
What the Spending Data Shows
The notes below describe the ranking without treating spending as an outcome measure.
State average and national figure
The simple average across the 51 jurisdictions is $17,836, while the national aggregate is $17,619. The two figures use different aggregation methods and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Ranking scope
The rank order is based only on current spending per pupil. It does not adjust for regional prices or compare spending with staffing, NAEP scores, graduation outcomes, or other measures.
Source and Methodology
U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, 2024 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, Summary Tables 8, 11, and 20.
NCES Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Universe Survey enrollment files are referenced by Census for per-pupil denominators.
FY2024 final data, released by the Census Bureau in May 2026.
Nominal dollars of current spending per enrolled pupil.
50 states and the District of Columbia. The United States aggregate is used only for national reference cards and trend lines.
Values are not adjusted for inflation, regional price parity, staffing costs, student need, or outcome differences.
Current spending excludes capital outlay and debt service. Per-pupil values use Census finance data and fall membership denominators referenced in the Census table notes. Rounded values may differ from source files by one dollar.
Official source links: Census 2024 school finance tables · Annual Survey of School System Finances · NCES CCD agency universe