Total U.S. Public Education Spending by State, 2026
State ranking of total public elementary-secondary expenditures using the latest verified NCES CCD National Public Education Financial Survey release.
Values are FY 2024 nominal dollars, reported in thousands in the source file and rounded here to billions or millions for display.
Executive Snapshot
National totals use the FY 2024 NCES state finance table. Per-pupil values refer to current expenditures per pupil, not total expenditures per pupil.
State Spending Grid Map
The grid groups states into five rank bands by total FY 2024 public elementary-secondary expenditures.
Map analysis
- California, Texas, and New York form the highest total-expenditure group.
- The top rank band includes large-enrollment states and several high-cost Northeast systems.
- Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota sit in the lowest total-expenditure band by state scale.
- Total spending reflects enrollment scale, finance structure, capital activity, and debt costs.
Full State Spending Ranking
Ranked by total expenditures. Current expenditures, capital outlay, other expenditures, and current expenditures per pupil are shown for context.
| Rank | State | Region | Total exp | Current exp | Capital | Other | Current / pupil | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | West | $139.7B | $119.3B | $14.7B | $5.7B | $20,434 | FY 2024 |
| 2 | Texas | South | $94.2B | $71.4B | $17.3B | $5.6B | $12,897 | FY 2024 |
| 3 | New York | Northeast | $84.2B | $76.1B | $4.0B | $4.1B | $30,924 | FY 2024 |
| 4 | Florida | South | $46.8B | $39.4B | $5.7B | $1.7B | $13,721 | FY 2024 |
| 5 | Illinois | Midwest | $46.5B | $40.3B | $4.7B | $1.5B | $21,907 | FY 2024 |
| 6 | New Jersey | Northeast | $42.1B | $38.7B | $2.6B | $778.1M | $27,818 | FY 2024 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | Northeast | $41.2B | $35.8B | $3.7B | $1.7B | $21,199 | FY 2024 |
| 8 | Ohio | Midwest | $32.8B | $28.7B | $3.1B | $1.1B | $17,116 | FY 2024 |
| 9 | Georgia | South | $31.7B | $27.6B | $3.8B | $313.7M | $15,767 | FY 2024 |
| 10 | Michigan | Midwest | $29.6B | $24.4B | $3.9B | $1.3B | $17,110 | FY 2024 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | Northeast | $26.0B | $24.7B | $857.0M | $442.2M | $27,008 | FY 2024 |
| 12 | Virginia | South | $24.0B | $21.6B | $2.3B | $180.7M | $17,129 | FY 2024 |
| 13 | Washington | West | $23.6B | $20.4B | $2.4B | $824.4M | $18,639 | FY 2024 |
| 14 | North Carolina | South | $22.4B | $19.9B | $2.4B | $104.9M | $12,885 | FY 2024 |
| 15 | Maryland | South | $20.6B | $18.5B | $1.9B | $263.4M | $20,734 | FY 2024 |
| 16 | Minnesota | Midwest | $18.3B | $14.8B | $2.3B | $1.2B | $16,982 | FY 2024 |
| 17 | Colorado | West | $16.8B | $13.8B | $2.2B | $793.1M | $15,922 | FY 2024 |
| 18 | Indiana | Midwest | $16.5B | $14.0B | $1.9B | $578.5M | $13,574 | FY 2024 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | Midwest | $16.3B | $13.3B | $2.0B | $1.1B | $16,336 | FY 2024 |
| 20 | Arizona | West | $16.1B | $13.4B | $2.1B | $651.9M | $12,186 | FY 2024 |
| 21 | Missouri | Midwest | $15.6B | $13.0B | $2.1B | $589.7M | $14,567 | FY 2024 |
| 22 | Tennessee | South | $15.3B | $13.2B | $1.7B | $359.9M | $13,169 | FY 2024 |
| 23 | Connecticut | Northeast | $14.7B | $13.3B | $1.0B | $314.3M | $26,035 | FY 2024 |
| 24 | South Carolina | South | $14.2B | $11.6B | $2.1B | $454.2M | $14,733 | FY 2024 |
| 25 | Louisiana | South | $12.5B | $11.1B | $1.2B | $177.7M | $15,739 | FY 2024 |
| 26 | Alabama | South | $12.1B | $10.2B | $1.5B | $343.3M | $13,664 | FY 2024 |
| 27 | Oregon | West | $11.9B | $9.9B | $1.5B | $545.6M | $18,052 | FY 2024 |
| 28 | Kentucky | South | $11.6B | $9.6B | $1.7B | $348.5M | $14,574 | FY 2024 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | South | $9.8B | $8.5B | $1.1B | $208.3M | $12,142 | FY 2024 |
| 30 | Utah | West | $9.6B | $7.8B | $1.5B | $311.0M | $11,299 | FY 2024 |
| 31 | Iowa | Midwest | $9.1B | $7.3B | $1.5B | $212.2M | $14,421 | FY 2024 |
| 32 | Kansas | Midwest | $7.9B | $7.2B | $510.5M | $248.3M | $14,848 | FY 2024 |
| 33 | Arkansas | South | $7.9B | $6.7B | $967.4M | $191.1M | $13,815 | FY 2024 |
| 34 | Nevada | West | $7.2B | $6.8B | $253.5M | $109.6M | $14,247 | FY 2024 |
| 35 | New Mexico | West | $6.7B | $5.5B | $1.0B | $72.6M | $17,802 | FY 2024 |
| 36 | Mississippi | South | $6.5B | $5.5B | $865.5M | $105.3M | $12,639 | FY 2024 |
| 37 | Nebraska | Midwest | $6.1B | $5.3B | $656.8M | $146.2M | $15,996 | FY 2024 |
| 38 | West Virginia | South | $4.6B | $3.9B | $551.4M | $84.5M | $15,968 | FY 2024 |
| 39 | Hawaii | West | $4.4B | $4.0B | $342.8M | $25.5M | $23,878 | FY 2024 |
| 40 | Idaho | West | $4.0B | $3.5B | $362.7M | $134.4M | $11,167 | FY 2024 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | Northeast | $4.0B | $3.7B | $281.8M | $50.4M | $23,083 | FY 2024 |
| 42 | Maine | Northeast | $3.9B | $3.6B | $147.2M | $88.7M | $21,103 | FY 2024 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | South | $3.6B | $2.9B | $398.8M | $207.2M | $31,887 | FY 2024 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | Northeast | $3.5B | $3.1B | $223.5M | $129.3M | $22,797 | FY 2024 |
| 45 | Delaware | South | $3.3B | $3.1B | $245.2M | $37.4M | $21,527 | FY 2024 |
| 46 | Alaska | West | $3.0B | $2.8B | $250.2M | $24.4M | $21,004 | FY 2024 |
| 47 | Vermont | Northeast | $2.7B | $2.5B | $167.3M | $28.4M | $30,137 | FY 2024 |
| 48 | North Dakota | Midwest | $2.5B | $2.0B | $385.1M | $71.6M | $17,143 | FY 2024 |
| 49 | South Dakota | Midwest | $2.5B | $1.8B | $573.4M | $67.1M | $12,988 | FY 2024 |
| 50 | Montana | West | $2.4B | $2.1B | $213.7M | $65.2M | $14,202 | FY 2024 |
| 51 | Wyoming | West | $2.1B | $1.9B | $220.3M | $12.7M | $20,542 | FY 2024 |
Table analysis
- California ranks first at $139.7B in total expenditures.
- Texas ranks second at $94.2B, followed by New York at $84.2B.
- The top 10 states account for about 58.0% of the national total.
- The top 22 states account for about 80.9% of the national total.
- Wyoming reports the lowest total at $2.1B.
- District of Columbia has the highest current expenditures per pupil at $31,887.
- Idaho has the lowest current expenditures per pupil at $11,167.
- Dollar totals are nominal and not adjusted for regional price levels.
Spending Distribution Charts and Tables
Supporting modules show concentration, regional totals, expenditure type mix, and distribution bands.
Largest 15 State Totals
Horizontal bar chart, FY 2024 total expenditures.
The chart is a visual slice of the full ranking. The complete 51-row table remains the source of record above.
Chart analysis
- The first three states exceed $80B each.
- California alone represents about 13.8% of the national total.
- The 15th-ranked state, Maryland, reports $20.6B.
National Expenditure Type Mix
Current expenditures, capital outlay, and other expenditures.
Current expenditures make up most national public elementary-secondary expenditures in FY 2024.
Chart analysis
- Current expenditures total $869.6B.
- Capital outlay totals $109.0B.
- Other expenditures total $35.7B, including other programs and interest on debt.
Regional Total Spending
Census-region grouping of state totals.
Regional totals are sums of state-level FY 2024 total expenditures.
Chart analysis
- The South totals $340.9B across 17 jurisdictions.
- The West totals $247.5B, led by California.
- The Northeast has the highest average current expenditure per pupil among the four regions.
Cumulative Spending Concentration
Pareto-style bars and cumulative share by rank.
The curve shows how quickly national spending accumulates as states are ordered from highest to lowest total.
Chart analysis
- The top 5 states account for about 40.6% of the total.
- The top 10 states account for about 58.0% of the total.
- The cumulative share passes 80% at rank 22.
What the Spending Data Shows
The ranking measures total reported public elementary-secondary expenditures by state-level system scale.
Scale matters
Total spending is strongly shaped by enrollment size. Large states can rank high even when current expenditures per pupil are near or below the national average.
Per-pupil context differs
District of Columbia, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, and Massachusetts rank high on current expenditures per pupil, while several of them are not among the largest total-spending systems.
Capital outlay changes totals
Capital projects can move total expenditures away from current operating spending. Texas reports the largest capital outlay amount in this table.
Nominal dollars only
The ranking is not adjusted for regional prices, wage levels, student needs, or state accounting differences.
Source and Methodology
Ranking uses total expenditures from the NCES FY 2024 state table. Current expenditures per pupil use the related NCES membership and current-expenditure-per-pupil table. National trend cards use the NCES FY 2023 and FY 2024 national comparison table where shown.
Current expenditures include instruction, instruction-related, support services, and other elementary-secondary current expenditures. They exclude capital outlay, other programs, and interest on long-term debt.
Total spending is a scale metric. It should not be read as a quality score, school outcome measure, or cost-adjusted ranking. The values are nominal FY 2024 dollars and do not adjust for enrollment mix, purchasing power, capital cycles, or local accounting rules.