The states that spend the most (and least) on public education; where does Wisconsin stand?

NEW YORK -- In the wake of multiple teacher strikes that have prompted national attention towards educators’ salaries and education spending, the U.S. Census Bureau just released its updated Annual Survey of School System Finances covering Fiscal Year 2016. According to the report, total current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems for the U.S. in 2016 was $587 billion, a 3.3% increase from 2015. With over 48 million students enrolled in school in the U.S., the per pupil current spending nationwide is $11,762, an increase of 3.2% since 2015.

Whether increased spending yields better outcomes or is a sign of bloated administrative costs is controversial. A recent study conducted by the University of California, Berkeley has indicated that higher education spending correlates with higher scores on the federal NAEP exam, while another study from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance reported no correlation between spending and test scores or graduation rates. Critics of educational spending argue that too much of the education budget (almost 40% at the national level) is allocated for teacher salaries, which average $58,950 nationwide, and should be spent on other programs and resources for students.

While in part funded from federal sources, public education in the U.S. is predominantly financed by state and local revenue sources, which creates large disparities in spending across states. To identify which states spend the most and least on public education, Credit Sesame, a credit score and financial management platform, analyzed the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data released in May of 2018. To compare spending figures against teacher salaries and student outcomes, Credit Sesame also incorporated data from the National Education Association, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Based on the analysis, states in the Northeast tend to spend the most money per pupil, with New York (ranked #1) spending three times more per pupil than Utah (ranked #51).





At the state level, per pupil spending is strongly correlated with average teacher salaries, which makes sense given the large portion of the budget that goes towards instructor salaries. However, when comparing state-level student outcomes (such as NAEP scores and graduation rates) with per pupil current spending, Credit Sesame found no obvious correlations—meaning that states spending the most per student today don’t appear to have better outcomes. In fact, some states such as Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Hawaii have significantly above average spending and below average academic performance. Conversely, states such as Utah, Indiana, Colorado, and Idaho appear to be doing more with less. Their students outperform those in other states on national assessments despite below average spending.

This analysis suggests that when it comes to improving academic performance, the availability of funds is only part of the equation. Where, when, and how such funds are deployed are likely more impactful than the total amount being spent. That said, whether you’re a new parent evaluating public school options in your state or just a concerned citizen, the list below—ranked by per pupil current spending—will show how your state stacks up.

The states ranked (least to most spending):



Photo Credit: Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

51. Utah




    Photo Credit: Charles Knowles / Alamy Stock Photo

    50. Idaho




      Photo Credit: Andrew Zarivny / Alamy Stock Photo

      49. Arizona




        Photo Credit: Dave Newman / Alamy Stock Photo

        48. Oklahoma




          Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

          47. Mississippi




            Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

            46. North Carolina




              Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

              45. Tennessee




                Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                44. Florida




                  Photo Credit: Visions of America, LLC / Alamy Stock Photo

                  43. Nevada




                    Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                    42. Texas




                      Photo Credit: Chris Boswell / Alamy Stock Photo

                      41. South Dakota




                        Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                        40. Alabama




                          Photo Credit: Joe Ferrer / Alamy Stock Photo

                          39. Colorado




                            Photo Credit: William Scott / Alamy Stock Photo

                            38. New Mexico




                              Photo Credit: Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

                              37. Georgia




                                Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                36. Arkansas




                                  Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                  35. Indiana




                                    Photo Credit: Steven Frame / Alamy Stock Photo

                                    34. Kentucky




                                      Photo Credit: Jeff Zehnder / Alamy Stock Photo

                                      33. Kansas




                                        Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                        32. South Carolina




                                          Photo Credit: Image Source / Alamy Stock Photo

                                          31. Missouri




                                            Photo Credit: Brian Overcast / Alamy Stock Photo

                                            30. Oregon




                                              Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                              29. Louisiana




                                                Photo Credit: Purestock / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                28. Iowa




                                                  Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                  27. West Virginia




                                                    Photo Credit: Witold Skrypczak / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                    26. Montana




                                                      Photo Credit: Eric Franks / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                      25. Virginia




                                                        Photo Credit: Maryna Gumenyuk / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                        24. Wisconsin




                                                          Photo Credit: Adonis Villanueva / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                          23. California




                                                            Photo Credit: Image Source / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                            22. Washington




                                                              Photo Credit: Susan Montgomery / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                              21. Michigan




                                                                Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                20. Ohio




                                                                  Photo Credit: robertharding / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                  19. Nebraska




                                                                    Photo Credit: rudi1976 / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                    18. Minnesota




                                                                      Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                      17. Maine




                                                                        Photo Credit: Purestock / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                        16. North Dakota




                                                                          Photo Credit: Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                          15. Hawaii




                                                                            Photo Credit: Dave Newman / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                            14. Illinois




                                                                              Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                              13. Maryland




                                                                                Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                12. Delaware




                                                                                  Photo Credit: Steven Frame / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                  11. New Hampshire




                                                                                    Photo Credit: Christian Hinkle / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                    10. Pennsylvania




                                                                                      Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                      9. Rhode Island




                                                                                        Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                        8. Massachusetts




                                                                                          Photo Credit: Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                          7. Wyoming




                                                                                            Photo Credit: Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                            6. Alaska




                                                                                              Photo Credit: API / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                              5. Vermont




                                                                                                Photo Credit: Purestock / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                                4. New Jersey




                                                                                                  Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                                  3. Connecticut




                                                                                                    Photo Credit: Vlad Ghiea / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                                    2. District of Columbia




                                                                                                      Photo Credit: Harold Stiver / Alamy Stock Photo

                                                                                                      1. New York



                                                                                                        Methodology:


                                                                                                        Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this analysis is for public elementary and secondary schools only.

                                                                                                        Current spending and enrollment statistics are from the U.S. Census Bureau, “Annual Survey of School System Finances” (2016), released in May of 2018. Current spending represents the amount spent by schools on daily operations, not including debt service, capital outlay, or reimbursement to other governments. Teacher salary statistics are from the National Education Association, Estimates of School Statistics, 2016-17. High school graduation rates are from the U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts Data (2015-2016). The graduation rate presented is the public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.

                                                                                                        Nation’s Report Card performance was evaluated using 2017 data from the Institute of Education Sciences, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Math and Reading assessments for 8th grade students. For each state, the NAEP Math and Reading scores were averaged. The resulting averages were converted to percentiles and given qualitative scores.

                                                                                                        The list of states is ranked by per pupil current spending for Fiscal Year 2016.