Fact checked
Education comes at a high price, and some states invest more in their students than others. Find out which states spend the most (and least) on their students.
3 minutes
Written by:
Michael BrownUpdated on:
February 12, 2024
In this article
Get started with a hand-selected tutor for your child:
At Learner, we believe education is one of the most important things we invest in throughout out lives. Most of us spend at least thirteen years in school, starting from age five, and some will even extend their educational period into their late twenties and beyond.
Investing in the future of our children via their education can help them build the lives they want. But education comes at a price—and a high one, at that. And some states invest more in their students than others. Find out which states have the highest spending per student in our map and table below!
Facts and Findings
- Alaska spends the most on students overall at a total of $53,124 per student between K-12 and postsecondary education
- Idaho spends the least amount on education overall at $19,661 per student
- Between the highest-spending state (Alaska) and the lowest-spending (Idaho), the spending gap is $33,463
- New York invests the most on K-12 education, spending $25,520 on each student
- For postsecondary spending, New Mexico leads the nation at a spend of $35,730 per pupil
- Five of the bottom eleven states for education spending also ranked in the bottom eleven states for math scores in the nation. These states are: District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Idaho, Florida, West Virginia
Methodology
We analyzed various data sets surrounding education spending in each state from the U.S. Public Education Spending Statistics report provided by EducationData.org. The data sets we used to create this report are:
- Public K-12 Spending Per Student
- Public Education Spending by State
- Public K-12 Spending as a Percentage of State Taxpayer Income
- Public Education Funding by State
| State | Rank | Total Spend Per Student | K-12 Spend Per Student | Post- secondary Spend Per Student | % Federal Funding for K-12 | % State & Local Funding for K-12 | % of Taxpayer Income for K-12 Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1 | $53,124 | $18,313 | $34,811 | 14.61% | 85.39% | 1.40% |
| Michigan | 2 | $46,887 | $13,072 | $33,815 | 8.37% | 91.63% | 0.90% |
| Hawaii | 3 | $46,363 | $15,205 | $31,158 | 8.27% | 91.73% | 0.80% |
| New Mexico | 4 | $45,717 | $9,987 | $35,730 | 13.38% | 86.62% | 0.80% |
| Oregon | 5 | $44,506 | $11,340 | $33,166 | 6.81% | 93.19% | 0.70% |
| Vermont | 6 | $43,638 | $21,314 | $22,324 | 6.36% | 93.64% | 1.20% |
| Washington | 7 | $43,543 | $14,556 | $28,987 | 6.20% | 93.80% | 1.00% |
| Wyoming | 8 | $42,870 | $16,698 | $26,172 | 6.40% | 93.60% | 1.20% |
| Connecticut | 9 | $41,783 | $21,346 | $20,437 | 4.29% | 95.71% | 1.00% |
| New Jersey | 10 | $41,567 | $20,630 | $20,937 | 4.11% | 95.89% | 1.20% |
| New York | 11 | $40,934 | $25,520 | $15,414 | 4.27% | 95.73% | 1.30% |
| Iowa | 12 | $40,307 | $11,958 | $28,349 | 7.21% | 92.79% | 1.00% |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | $39,473 | $17,142 | $22,331 | 6.95% | 93.05% | 1.00% |
| Delaware | 14 | $38,297 | $14,757 | $23,540 | 6.24% | 93.76% | 0.90% |
| Mississippi | 15 | $38,178 | $9,654 | $28,524 | 13.00% | 87.00% | 1.20% |
| Alabama | 16 | $38,143 | $10,116 | $28,027 | 11.06% | 88.94% | 1.60% |
| Minnesota | 17 | $37,883 | $13,603 | $24,280 | 5.49% | 94.51% | 1.00% |
| Arkansas | 18 | $37,551 | $10,345 | $27,206 | 10.79% | 89.21% | 1.00% |
| Ohio | 19 | $36,310 | $13,805 | $22,505 | 7.19% | 92.81% | 1.00% |
| North Dakota | 20 | $36,106 | $13,550 | $22,556 | 9.52% | 90.48% | 0.20% |
| Montana | 21 | $35,770 | $12,105 | $23,665 | 12.44% | 87.56% | 0.90% |
| Maryland | 22 | $35,183 | $14,644 | $20,539 | 5.32% | 94.68% | 0.90% |
| Missouri | 23 | $34,914 | $11,249 | $23,665 | 7.98% | 92.02% | 0.90% |
| Kentucky | 24 | $34,657 | $11,397 | $23,260 | 11.29% | 88.71% | 1.00% |
| California | 25 | $34,580 | $14,053 | $20,527 | 8.38% | 91.62% | 0.80% |
| Illinois | 26 | $34,218 | $17,340 | $16,878 | 6.20% | 93.80% | 1.10% |
| Wisconsin | 27 | $33,058 | $12,466 | $20,592 | 7.00% | 93.00% | 0.80% |
| Texas | 28 | $33,050 | $9,613 | $23,437 | 10.54% | 89.46% | 0.80% |
| Nebraska | 29 | $32,923 | $13,004 | $19,919 | 7.42% | 92.58% | 1.00% |
| Virginia | 30 | $32,832 | $12,905 | $19,927 | 6.45% | 93.55% | 0.80% |
| Oklahoma | 31 | $32,206 | $9,512 | $22,694 | 10.58% | 89.42% | 0.90% |
| Colorado | 32 | $32,067 | $11,540 | $20,527 | 6.28% | 93.72% | 0.80% |
| Kansas | 33 | $30,992 | $12,697 | $18,295 | 7.78% | 92.22% | 1.10% |
| North Carolina | 34 | $30,246 | $9,958 | $20,288 | 10.88% | 89.12% | 0.70% |
| Louisiana | 35 | $29,392 | $11,691 | $17,701 | 12.63% | 87.37% | 0.80% |
| Massachusetts | 36 | $29,342 | $18,269 | $11,073 | 4.89% | 95.11% | 0.80% |
| Indiana | 37 | $28,054 | $10,019 | $18,035 | 7.68% | 92.32% | 0.70% |
| Maine | 38 | $27,778 | $15,070 | $12,708 | 6.62% | 93.38% | 0.90% |
| South Carolina | 39 | $27,635 | $10,658 | $16,977 | 8.73% | 91.27% | 0.80% |
| Georgia | 40 | $27,441 | $10,769 | $16,672 | 8.79% | 91.21% | 0.80% |
| Rhode Island | 41 | $27,417 | $17,024 | $10,393 | 7.09% | 92.91% | 1.00% |
| South Dakota | 42 | $27,211 | $10,234 | $16,977 | 13.87% | 86.13% | 0.80% |
| Utah | 43 | $26,327 | $7,478 | $18,849 | 7.49% | 92.51% | 0.70% |
| West Virginia | 44 | $25,407 | $11,757 | $13,650 | 10.90% | 89.10% | 0.90% |
| New Hampshire | 45 | $24,741 | $18,952 | $5,789 | 5.30% | 94.70% | 0.90% |
| Nevada | 46 | $24,712 | $8,915 | $15,797 | 8.52% | 91.48% | 0.60% |
| District of Columbia | 47 | $24,573 | $22,856 | $1,717 | 6.66% | 93.34% | 0.50% |
| Tennessee | 48 | $24,226 | $9,546 | $14,680 | 11.03% | 88.97% | 0.60% |
| Florida | 49 | $22,852 | $9,937 | $12,915 | 11.40% | 88.60% | 0.60% |
| Arizona | 50 | $20,494 | $8,766 | $11,728 | 12.44% | 87.56% | 0.60% |
| Idaho | 51 | $19,661 | $8,272 | $11,389 | 9.63% | 90.37% | 0.70% |
Looking for tutors in your area?
Tutors in Ann ArborTutors in AtlantaTutors in BaltimoreTutors in BrooklynTutors in ChicagoTutors in DallasTutors in DetroitTutors in EdisonTutors in HoustonTutors in JacksonvilleTutors in Las VegasTutors in Los AngelesTutors in MiamiTutors in MinneapolisTutors in New YorkTutors in PhoenixTutors in SacramentoTutors in Salt Lake CityTutors in TampaTutors in Philadelphia
Get started with a custom-matched tutor for your child.
About the author:
Michael Brown
Mike developed his passion for education as a math instructor at Penn State University. He expanded his educational experience launching and running an Executive Education business - training over 100,000 students per year. As the CEO of Learner, Mike focuses on accelerating learning and unleashing the potential of students.
Related Articles
Are Your District's Math Scores Keeping Pace? Comparing PSSA Results Across Pennsylvania
We analyzed PSSA math data from across Pennsylvania in order to understand how the current state of math education compares to previous years, and what can be expected moving forward.
Evan Bender
What Can You Do with a Math Degree?
Learn about the career paths that a math degree can lead to, from finance to data analysis. This guide will teach you how to make the most of your education.
Michael Brown
What is Inequality in Math?
Explore the concept of inequality in math and its real-world applications in finance, physics, and economics.
Michael Brown
