Just the Facts 1999-2000

Table 42
State & Local Welfare Spending Per Capita, 1996
Rank	State	Amt.	Rank	State	Amt.
1	NEW YORK	$1,377	27	Georgia	$638
2	Alaska	1,027	28	Arkansas	632
3	Maine	1,026	29	Iowa	627
4	Minnesota	1,003	30	North Carolina	626
5	Massachusetts	949	31	Nebraska	616
6	New Jersey	888	32	North Dakota	613
7	New Hampshire	886	33	Montana	597
8	Rhode Island	876	34	Arizona	593
9	West Virginia	870	35	Mississippi	592
10	Connecticut	860	36	Maryland	584
11	Vermont	857	37	Colorado	561
12	Pennsylvania	818	38	South Dakota	559
13	Hawaii	772	39	Indiana	555
14	Wisconsin	761	40	Alabama	554
15	California	756	41	Missouri	550
16	Illinois	745	42	Texas	536
17	Kentucky	718	43	Wyoming	533
18	Tennessee	709	44	Florida	513
19	Ohio	707	45	Oklahoma	493
20	Michigan	705	46	Virginia	493
21	South Carolina	692	47	Utah	480
22	Washington	687	48	Idaho	471
23	Louisiana	684	49	Kansas	440
24	New Mexico	683	50	Nevada	436
25	Oregon	664	U.S. average		$729
26	Delaware	639	N.Y.S. % above avg.		88.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau data; calculations by The Public Policy Institute
The Census Bureau includes cash benefits as well as Medicaid and some other payments in its definition of "welfare."