State Welfare Spending Rank

Rank the 50 states for state and local welfare spending.

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	State	State Spending	Local Spending	State and Local Spending
	1. Wyoming	$0.4	$0.0	$0.4	more
	2. South Dakota	$0.3	$0.1	$0.4	more
	3. North Dakota	$0.4	$0.2	$0.5	more
	4. Montana	$0.4	$0.1	$0.6	more
	5. Delaware	$0.8	$0.1	$0.9	more
	6. Idaho	$0.8	$0.2	$1.0	more
	7. Alaska	$0.7	$0.2	$1.0	more
	8. Mississippi	$0.7	$0.3	$1.1	more
	9. West Virginia	$1.1	$0.2	$1.3	more
	10. Hawaii	$1.0	$0.4	$1.4	more
	11. Rhode Island	$1.2	$0.2	$1.4	more
	12. Vermont	$1.3	$0.1	$1.4	more
	13. Arkansas	$1.1	$0.3	$1.5	more
	14. New Hampshire	$1.1	$0.5	$1.6	more
	15. New Mexico	$1.4	$0.2	$1.6	more
	16. Nebraska	$1.3	$0.5	$1.8	more
	17. Iowa	$1.4	$0.4	$1.8	more
	18. Nevada	$1.1	$0.8	$1.9	more
	19. Kansas	$1.8	$0.2	$2.0	more
	20. Alabama	$1.3	$0.7	$2.1	more
	21. Kentucky	$2.0	$0.3	$2.2	more
	22. Louisiana	$1.5	$0.8	$2.3	more
	23. Missouri	$1.6	$0.8	$2.3	more
	24. Utah	$1.6	$0.8	$2.4	more
	25. Maine	$2.2	$0.2	$2.4	more
	26. South Carolina	$2.0	$0.5	$2.6	more
	27. Connecticut	$2.1	$0.8	$2.8	more
	28. Oklahoma	$2.2	$0.7	$2.9	more
	29. Indiana	$2.7	$0.8	$3.5	more
	30. District of Columbia	$0.0	$3.9	$3.9	more
	31. Georgia	$3.0	$1.1	$4.1	more
	32. Tennessee	$3.4	$1.1	$4.5	more
	33. Colorado	$2.2	$2.3	$4.5	more
	34. Wisconsin	$1.9	$2.6	$4.6	more
	35. North Carolina	$1.5	$3.8	$5.3	more
	36. Virginia	$2.6	$3.7	$6.4	more
	37. Minnesota	$4.0	$2.4	$6.4	more
	38. Washington	$3.7	$3.1	$6.9	more
	39. Ohio	$2.6	$4.6	$7.2	more
	40. Arizona	$6.5	$0.8	$7.3	more
	41. Maryland	$6.0	$1.9	$7.9	more
	42. New Jersey	$6.4	$1.6	$8.0	more
	43. Michigan	$6.8	$1.5	$8.3	more
	44. Florida	$3.7	$4.8	$8.5	more
	45. Oregon	$8.2	$1.5	$9.7	more
	46. Illinois	$6.7	$3.4	$10.1	more
	47. Massachusetts	$8.5	$2.5	$11.0	more
	48. Pennsylvania	$5.7	$6.8	$12.5	more
	49. Texas	$13.2	$4.2	$17.4	more
	50. New York	$3.5	$20.7	$24.2	more
	51. California	$25.3	$36.3	$61.6	more
	52. All states combined	$162.7	$126.5	$289.2	more
Notes: actual estimated guesstimated1 1. "Guesstimated" by projecting the latest change in reported number forward to future years. GSP deviation from national GDP growth cut by 40% per year. Data Sources: State GDP Information Federal: Fed. Budget: Hist. Tables 3.2, 5.1, 7.1 State and Local: State and Local Gov. Finances 'Guesstimated' by projecting the latest change in reported spending forward to future years

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Comparison of State and Local Government Spending in the United States Fiscal Year 2023 Amounts in $ billion Welfare State State Spending Local Spending State and Local Spending Gross State Product Real State Growth % Population (million) Wyoming 0.4 e 0.0 e 0.4 e 51.4 a 5.7 a 0.6 a South Dakota 0.3 e 0.1 e 0.4 e 74.5 a 3.6 a 0.9 a North Dakota 0.4 e 0.2 e 0.5 e 77.9 a 8.9 a 0.8 a Montana 0.4 e 0.1 e 0.6 e 74.7 a 5.0 a 1.1 a Delaware 0.8 e 0.1 e 0.9 e 103.3 a 1.2 a 1.0 a Idaho 0.8 e 0.2 e 1.0 e 120.6 a 2.7 a 2.0 a Alaska 0.7 e 0.2 e 1.0 e 68.2 a 7.3 a 0.7 a Mississippi 0.7 e 0.3 e 1.1 e 151.5 a 3.2 a 2.9 a West Virginia 1.1 e 0.2 e 1.3 e 101.5 a 3.6 a 1.8 a Hawaii 1.0 e 0.4 e 1.4 e 111.7 a 2.5 a 1.4 a Rhode Island 1.2 e 0.2 e 1.4 e 76.3 a 1.0 a 1.1 a Vermont 1.3 e 0.1 e 1.4 e 43.9 a 1.7 a 0.6 a Arkansas 1.1 e 0.3 e 1.5 e 178.1 a 2.4 a 3.1 a New Hampshire 1.1 e 0.5 e 1.6 e 114.4 a 2.1 a 1.4 a New Mexico 1.4 e 0.2 e 1.6 e 138.5 a 9.4 a 2.1 a Nebraska 1.3 e 0.5 e 1.8 e 183.8 a 5.2 a 2.0 a Iowa 1.4 e 0.4 e 1.8 e 253.2 a -0.6 a 3.2 a Nevada 1.1 e 0.8 e 1.9 e 253.4 a 3.4 a 3.2 a Kansas 1.8 e 0.2 e 2.0 e 224.9 a 1.4 a 2.9 a Alabama 1.3 e 0.7 e 2.1 e 309.5 a 3.5 a 5.1 a Kentucky 2.0 e 0.3 e 2.2 e 283.3 a 2.9 a 4.5 a Louisiana 1.5 e 0.8 e 2.3 e 318.0 a 3.7 a 4.6 a Missouri 1.6 e 0.8 e 2.3 e 428.9 a 2.9 a 6.2 a Utah 1.6 e 0.8 e 2.4 e 283.2 a 3.9 a 3.4 a Maine 2.2 e 0.2 e 2.4 e 93.7 a 3.6 a 1.4 a South Carolina 2.0 e 0.5 e 2.6 e 332.9 a 3.7 a 5.4 a Connecticut 2.1 e 0.8 e 2.8 e 341.9 a 1.4 a 3.6 a Oklahoma 2.2 e 0.7 e 2.9 e 255.9 a 6.6 a 4.1 a Indiana 2.7 e 0.8 e 3.5 e 496.9 a 1.8 a 6.9 a District of Columbia 0.0 g 3.9 g 3.9 g 174.3 a 0.1 a 0.7 a Georgia 3.0 e 1.1 e 4.1 e 835.8 a 1.4 a 11.1 a Tennessee 3.4 e 1.1 e 4.5 e 531.2 a 3.1 a 7.2 a Colorado 2.2 e 2.3 e 4.5 e 533.3 a 4.2 a 5.9 a Wisconsin 1.9 e 2.6 e 4.6 e 431.9 a 1.5 a 5.9 a North Carolina 1.5 e 3.8 e 5.3 e 794.8 a 3.6 a 10.9 a Virginia 2.6 e 3.7 e 6.4 e 722.8 a 3.4 a 8.7 a Minnesota 4.0 e 2.4 e 6.4 e 483.2 a 1.0 a 5.8 a Washington 3.7 e 3.1 e 6.9 e 801.5 a 4.3 a 7.8 a Ohio 2.6 e 4.6 e 7.2 e 884.0 a 1.9 a 11.8 a Arizona 6.5 e 0.8 e 7.3 e 530.1 a 3.3 a 7.5 a Maryland 6.0 e 1.9 e 7.9 e 515.0 a 1.9 a 6.2 a New Jersey 6.4 e 1.6 e 8.0 e 806.9 a 2.1 a 9.4 a Michigan 6.8 e 1.5 e 8.3 e 676.0 a 2.7 a 10.1 a Florida 3.7 e 4.8 e 8.5 e 1,624.6 a 5.1 a 22.9 a Oregon 8.2 e 1.5 e 9.7 e 314.9 a 1.5 a 4.3 a Illinois 6.7 e 3.4 e 10.1 e 1,100.8 a 1.4 a 12.6 a Massachusetts 8.5 e 2.5 e 11.0 e 737.9 a 1.2 a 7.1 a Pennsylvania 5.7 e 6.8 e 12.5 e 966.4 a 1.7 a 13.0 a Texas 13.2 e 4.2 e 17.4 e 2,637.2 a 8.2 a 30.7 a New York 3.5 e 20.7 e 24.2 e 2,182.6 a 0.7 a 19.8 a California 25.3 e 36.3 e 61.6 e 3,827.0 a 1.8 a 39.2 a All states combined 162.7 e 126.5 e 289.2 e 27,811.5 a 2.9 a 336.8 a Legend: a - actual reported e - out-year estimate in US budget g - 'guesstimated' projection by usgovernmentspending.com

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Spending Data Sources

Spending data is from official government sources.

• Federal spending data since 1962 comes from the president’s budget.
  
• All other spending data comes from the US Census Bureau.

Gross Domestic Product data comes from US Bureau of Economic Analysis and measuringworth.com.

Detailed table of spending data sources here.
Medicare breakdown here; Medicaid breakdown here.

Federal spending data begins in 1792.

State and local spending data begins in 1820.

State and local spending data for individual states begins in 1957.