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.
Data analysis
- The national FY2024 average is $17,619 per pupil.
- New York ranks first at $31,918 per pupil.
- Idaho ranks last at $11,060 per pupil.
- 21 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.
This is a state grid representation, not a geographic SVG map. Dollar values are nominal and not adjusted for regional prices.
Map analysis
- The highest band starts at $22,110 per pupil.
- The lowest band runs from $11,060 to $13,622.
- Northeast states are concentrated in the upper bands.
Full State Ranking
Current spending per pupil, FY2024.
The bar chart reads the visible ranking table below. If scripts are removed, the full 51-row table remains available.
Chart analysis
- New York, District of Columbia, and Vermont form the top three.
- The median jurisdiction is rank 26: Nebraska at $16,147.
- The average across the 51 jurisdictions is $17,836; the median is $16,147.
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% |
Table analysis
- The highest FY2024 value is $31,918 in New York.
- The lowest FY2024 value is $11,060 in Idaho.
- The rank 1 to rank 51 gap is $20,857 per pupil.
- 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%.
- Nominal dollar values are not adjusted for inflation or state price levels.
Distribution, Trend, and Movement Tables
Supporting modules 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 |
Table analysis
- The top 10 all exceed $22,110 per pupil.
- The lowest 10 range from $11,060 to $12,995.
- 7 of the top 10 are in the Northeast.
- The lowest group includes states from the South, West, and Midwest.
Regional Distribution
Unweighted regional average, median, minimum, and maximum across jurisdictions.
The regional chart uses an average-plus-range view instead of a plugin-based boxplot, keeping the module native to Chart.js.
| 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 | $19,368 |
Table analysis
- The Northeast has the highest unweighted regional average at $24,984.
- The South has the widest regional range at $19,368.
- The West average is $16,869, with values spread from Idaho to Hawaii.
- Regional averages are not enrollment-weighted.
Selected Spending Trend
FY2019–FY2024 current spending per pupil. Select up to six jurisdictions for a cleaner chart.
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% |
Trend analysis
- The national series rises from $13,187 in FY2019 to $17,619 in FY2024.
- California rises from $14,034 to $20,791.
- District of Columbia remains above $30,000 in FY2023 and FY2024.
- Idaho remains the lowest selected jurisdiction in FY2024.
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% | (Z) | 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.
Trend analysis
- Nevada has the largest FY2024 one-year increase at 26.9%.
- Montana posts the lowest FY2024 movement at -0.8%.
- Most jurisdictions show positive movement in FY2024.
- FY2022 and FY2023 contain many higher-change cells than FY2020.
NAEP score correlation and cost-of-living adjusted ranking are not merged into this release block. A separate crosswalk is required to align Census FY2024 finance data with NAEP assessment year data and BEA regional price parity data.
What the Spending Data Shows
The notes below describe the ranking without treating spending as an outcome measure.
Northeast concentration
Northeast states account for most of the upper tier in the FY2024 ranking.
Scale of the spread
The rank 1 to rank 51 gap is $20,857 per pupil.
Nominal dollars
Dollar values are not adjusted for inflation, regional price levels, labor markets, or local purchasing costs.
Ranking scope
The rank order is based only on current spending per pupil, not total spending, revenue mix, staffing, NAEP scores, or graduation outcomes.
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
This ranking shows current spending per pupil only. It does not prove school quality, achievement, efficiency, or resource adequacy. COLA-adjusted views and spending-outcome charts should be built as separate modules with matched source years and a clear adjustment method.