New York spends more per pupil in schools than any other state, and its per-pupil spending is 62 percent above the national average, data released May 24 by the U.S. Census Bureau show.
The data, for 2004-2005, show that New York's per-pupil spending was $14,119, compared to the national average of $8,701. New York's spending was 2 percent above the second-highest spender, New Jersey, where spending that year was $13,800.
The data also show that:
- New York's per-pupil spending increased 9 percent compared
to the previous year's spending. In that year, 2003-04,
New York's spending per pupil was $12,930, which was already
56 percent above the national average.
- With some $19.2 billion in state aid to schools that year, New York ranked sixth nationally in the amount of per-pupil spending that came from state taxpayers. That per-pupil spending of state aid, at $6,930, is 45 percent above the national average. It is also more per-pupil spending than Tennessee, Nevada, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Idaho, Arizona, and Utah spent from all sources.
The Census Bureau report is available at www.census.gov/govs/www/school.html.
The table below shows per-pupil figures for current spending, and the two major sources of school districts' revenues.
Per Pupil spending and revenue, 2004-05 Rank State Total per-pupil spending State revenue rank Per-pupil school revenue from state sources Local revenue rank Per-pupil revenue from local sources 1 NEW YORK $14,119.37 6 $6,930.17 3 $7,722.25 2 New Jersey $13,799.79 7 $6,790.38 1 $8,740.82 3 Vermont $11,835.27 1 $11,599.89 49 $687.77 4 Connecticut $11,572.42 17 $5,165.90 2 $8,005.79 5 Massachusetts $11,267.07 13 $5,690.98 4 $6,985.99 6 Delaware $10,910.06 3 $7,946.71 29 $3,362.15 7 Alaska $10,829.97 8 $6,628.53 34 $3,151.39 8 Pennsylvania $10,552.01 28 $4,349.62 5 $6,865.26 9 Rhode Island $10,371.31 21 $4,865.75 6 $6,512.82 10 Wyoming $10,254.80 5 $6,961.58 15 $5,206.88 11 Maine $10,106.03 25 $4,518.10 11 $5,743.35 12 Maryland $9,815.24 30 $4,319.85 7 $6,369.25 13 Wisconsin $9,743.84 15 $5,551.48 16 $4,788.39 14 New Hampshire $9,448.30 29 $4,347.08 8 $6,115.31 15 Michigan $9,328.76 11 $6,306.98 30 $3,311.07 16 Ohio $9,260.18 23 $4,673.96 12 $5,415.00 17 West Virginia $9,004.96 12 $5,752.01 39 $2,707.13 18 Hawaii $8,996.84 2 $10,844.86 50 $276.10 19 Illinois $8,943.60 45 $3,442.33 10 $5,775.17 20 Virginia $8,891.25 33 $4,047.37 14 $5,221.42 21 Indiana $8,797.80 18 $5,149.49 13 $5,378.00 22 Minnesota $8,661.63 4 $7,206.57 42 $2,508.25 23 Nebraska $8,282.33 48 $3,079.51 9 $5,798.75 24 North Dakota $8,159.46 46 $3,398.73 21 $4,332.00 25 Oregon $8,114.58 27 $4,430.56 26 $3,700.46 26 California $8,066.72 14 $5,556.01 35 $2,888.74 27 Montana $8,057.54 38 $3,947.75 27 $3,515.93 28 Georgia $8,028.06 32 $4,153.41 19 $4,439.63 29 Iowa $7,972.38 31 $4,290.08 22 $4,273.18 30 Colorado $7,729.79 41 $3,857.82 18 $4,483.67 31 Missouri $7,716.89 36 $4,026.80 20 $4,359.21 32 Kansas $7,705.72 19 $5,037.81 33 $3,212.98 33 Louisiana $7,604.52 39 $3,884.40 31 $3,260.73 34 New Mexico $7,580.49 10 $6,447.89 47 $1,223.01 35 Washington $7,560.33 16 $5,479.32 40 $2,680.58 36 South Carolina $7,554.79 34 $4,039.42 25 $4,072.00 37 Arkansas $7,504.07 9 $6,489.43 48 $1,129.50 38 Texas $7,266.86 49 $3,003.17 17 $4,737.88 39 Florida $7,206.63 42 $3,757.94 24 $4,136.66 40 South Dakota $7,197.22 50 $2,805.00 23 $4,188.99 41 North Carolina $7,159.29 22 $4,737.25 41 $2,603.37 42 Kentucky $7,117.98 24 $4,625.85 43 $2,482.54 43 Alabama $7,066.03 26 $4,452.74 38 $2,707.42 44 Tennessee $6,729.04 47 $3,147.57 32 $3,218.08 45 Nevada $6,721.60 20 $4,991.45 36 $2,818.09 46 Oklahoma $6,612.62 40 $3,879.89 37 $2,816.93 47 Mississippi $6,574.52 37 $3,961.51 46 $2,269.82 48 Idaho $6,283.31 35 $4,033.19 45 $2,284.24 49 Arizona $6,261.39 44 $3,469.27 28 $3,409.67 50 Utah $5,257.15 43 $3,543.54 44 $2,298.04 United States $8,701.06 $4,773.83 $4,462.80 NYS +/- U.S. average 62% 45% 73%