US Budget Study
Policing and Corrections Spending by State
Police and corrections budgets became a flashpoint in 2020 due largely to nationwide protests and social unrest in the wake of highly publicized cases of excessive force by law enforcement officers. MoneyGeek analyzed the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data to see how much states spent on policing and corrections in 2019, the year before the protests began. We also compared spending in Democratic and Republican-controlled states to see how political leaning influenced state expenditures at that time.
Key Findings:
- The U.S. spent $205 billion on law enforcement, amounting to $123 billion spent on policing and $82 billion on corrections.
- Nevada and Washington, D.C. spent the most on police and corrections expenditures, both places with relatively low populations compared to other states.
- Washington, D.C. had the highest per capita law enforcement spending ($1,296), while Kentucky had the lowest ($387).
- Despite being considered tax-friendly states, Nevada and Florida spent the highest percentages of their budgets on law enforcement (7.4% and 7.2%, respectively).
- While Democratic states spent 38% more per capita on law enforcement, both Republican and Democratic states spent about the same percentage of their budgets on policing and corrections (5.27% and 5.19%, respectively).
Which States Spend the Most on Policing and Corrections?
MoneyGeek analyzed police and corrections spending data for each state and ran a comparison to find the places that spend the most money on law enforcement. States were ranked using per capita spending and the proportion of total state and local spending to learn which states spend the most on policing and corrections. Each state was assessed on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more spending on policing and corrections per capita.
While police and corrections expenditures may be associated with geographically large areas with big populations, data shows Nevada (ranked No. 1) and Washington, D.C. (ranked No. 2) spend a more significant portion of their budgets on law enforcement than areas with more people.
While national per capita spending on law enforcement and corrections was $635 in 2019, per capita state spending ranged from $1,296 in Washington, D.C., to $387 in Kentucky. Nevada, one of MoneyGeek’s 10 most tax-friendly states in the U.S., spent 7.4% of its budget on law enforcement. Florida, another tax-friendly state, spent 7.2% of its budget on policing. Both states spent the highest proportion of their local and state expenditures on law enforcement, well above the national average of 5.17%.
Police and Corrections Spending by State
State | Rank | Score | Policing &
Corrections
Per Capita
Spend | Policing &
Corrections
% of
Total Spend | Policing &
Corrections
Expenditures
($ Millions) | Corrections Spend as % of Policing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nevada | 1 | 100.0 | $718 | 7.40% | $2,212 | 58% |
District of Columbia | 2 | 92.2 | $1,296 | 4.53% | $914 | 39% |
Florida | 3 | 91.0 | $664 | 7.17% | $14,252 | 51% |
Maryland | 4 | 90.7 | $813 | 6.51% | $4,917 | 66% |
California | 5 | 81.1 | $907 | 5.62% | $35,829 | 72% |
Arizona | 6 | 80.4 | $605 | 6.87% | $4,405 | 72% |
Alaska | 7 | 72.0 | $986 | 4.81% | $722 | 88% |
Delaware | 8 | 69.5 | $752 | 5.68% | $732 | 96% |
New Mexico | 9 | 69.4 | $723 | 5.80% | $1,516 | 97% |
Virginia | 10 | 64.5 | $631 | 5.94% | $5,388 | 109% |
Rhode Island | 11 | 61.8 | $708 | 5.47% | $750 | 50% |
Idaho | 12 | 58.9 | $523 | 6.11% | $935 | 93% |
New York | 13 | 56.7 | $873 | 4.51% | $16,982 | 58% |
Colorado | 14 | 53.4 | $622 | 5.41% | $3,581 | 68% |
New Jersey | 15 | 51.6 | $656 | 5.16% | $5,831 | 61% |
Illinois | 16 | 50.9 | $637 | 5.22% | $8,066 | 42% |
Wisconsin | 17 | 50.6 | $598 | 5.36% | $3,482 | 77% |
Oregon | 18 | 49.9 | $699 | 4.89% | $2,948 | 95% |
Montana | 19 | 49.5 | $570 | 5.42% | $610 | 74% |
Wyoming | 20 | 48.9 | $779 | 4.50% | $451 | 99% |
North Carolina | 21 | 48.3 | $536 | 5.51% | $5,621 | 60% |
Pennsylvania | 22 | 47.5 | $632 | 5.06% | $8,087 | 88% |
Minnesota | 23 | 44.5 | $630 | 4.91% | $3,551 | 49% |
New Hampshire | 24 | 41.8 | $515 | 5.26% | $701 | 46% |
Texas | 25 | 41.6 | $523 | 5.22% | $15,164 | 73% |
Georgia | 26 | 41.5 | $472 | 5.43% | $5,010 | 76% |
Tennessee | 27 | 39.9 | $502 | 5.22% | $3,432 | 54% |
Michigan | 28 | 37.1 | $535 | 4.94% | $5,344 | 93% |
Oklahoma | 29 | 36.8 | $475 | 5.18% | $1,878 | 67% |
Louisiana | 30 | 36.8 | $537 | 4.91% | $2,498 | 56% |
South Dakota | 31 | 33.8 | $473 | 5.03% | $418 | 87% |
Missouri | 32 | 33.6 | $480 | 4.99% | $2,947 | 50% |
Ohio | 33 | 32.1 | $540 | 4.66% | $6,311 | 55% |
Nebraska | 34 | 31.4 | $559 | 4.54% | $1,082 | 104% |
Kansas | 35 | 29.6 | $509 | 4.66% | $1,482 | 58% |
Connecticut | 36 | 25.8 | $530 | 4.37% | $1,889 | 52% |
Massachusetts | 37 | 24.3 | $583 | 4.07% | $4,018 | 67% |
Vermont | 38 | 24.0 | $570 | 4.11% | $356 | 68% |
Washington | 39 | 21.9 | $545 | 4.11% | $4,148 | 77% |
Utah | 40 | 21.8 | $475 | 4.40% | $1,524 | 64% |
West Virginia | 41 | 19.8 | $459 | 4.37% | $822 | 93% |
Alabama | 42 | 18.8 | $449 | 4.36% | $2,200 | 62% |
Hawaii | 43 | 18.6 | $529 | 4.01% | $749 | 48% |
North Dakota | 44 | 17.7 | $532 | 3.95% | $405 | 78% |
Arkansas | 45 | 15.3 | $413 | 4.33% | $1,247 | 73% |
Mississippi | 46 | 15.0 | $435 | 4.22% | $1,295 | 65% |
South Carolina | 47 | 13.9 | $434 | 4.17% | $2,233 | 57% |
Maine | 48 | 12.2 | $423 | 4.13% | $569 | 74% |
Indiana | 49 | 9.8 | $397 | 4.12% | $2,673 | 73% |
Kentucky | 50 | 0.9 | $387 | 3.70% | $1,728 | 111% |
Iowa | 51 | 0.0 | $418 | 3.52% | $1,319 | 53% |
United States | $625 | 5.17% | $205,222 | 67% |
Democratic and Republican State Policing and Corrections Spending
Our analysis of per capita spending found that blue states spent 38% more on policing and corrections than red states in 2019. Interestingly, red states spent slightly more of their total budget on policing: 5.3% compared to blue states' 5.2%.
Detailed Findings
The detailed findings of MoneyGeek's analysis break down the spending on policing and corrections individually. Some states vary widely, with increased or decreased spending on one category over the other.
Police Spending
State | Rank | Score | Policing
Per Capita
Spend | Policing
% of
Total Spend | Policing
Expenditures
($ Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District of Columbia | 1 | 100.0 | $931 | 3.26% | $657 |
Florida | 2 | 89.5 | $440 | 4.75% | $9,457 |
Nevada | 3 | 89.5 | $455 | 4.69% | $1,403 |
Maryland | 4 | 75.3 | $489 | 3.92% | $2,958 |
Rhode Island | 5 | 67.3 | $470 | 3.64% | $498 |
Illinois | 6 | 66.2 | $448 | 3.67% | $5,683 |
Arizona | 7 | 64.8 | $352 | 4.00% | $2,562 |
California | 8 | 64.0 | $526 | 3.26% | $20,795 |
New York | 9 | 57.3 | $553 | 2.85% | $10,757 |
New Hampshire | 10 | 56.3 | $354 | 3.61% | $481 |
Minnesota | 11 | 55.4 | $422 | 3.29% | $2,379 |
New Jersey | 12 | 52.1 | $407 | 3.21% | $3,619 |
North Carolina | 13 | 50.7 | $334 | 3.43% | $3,504 |
Tennessee | 14 | 49.1 | $327 | 3.39% | $2,232 |
Colorado | 15 | 49.1 | $370 | 3.22% | $2,132 |
Alaska | 16 | 48.0 | $524 | 2.55% | $383 |
Missouri | 17 | 47.3 | $321 | 3.33% | $1,971 |
Louisiana | 18 | 45.1 | $344 | 3.14% | $1,600 |
Montana | 19 | 43.3 | $328 | 3.12% | $351 |
Delaware | 20 | 43.0 | $383 | 2.89% | $373 |
New Mexico | 21 | 42.7 | $367 | 2.94% | $769 |
Wisconsin | 22 | 42.3 | $339 | 3.04% | $1,972 |
Ohio | 23 | 42.2 | $348 | 3.00% | $4,064 |
Connecticut | 24 | 39.6 | $349 | 2.88% | $1,243 |
Idaho | 25 | 39.1 | $271 | 3.17% | $484 |
Oklahoma | 26 | 38.8 | $284 | 3.10% | $1,124 |
Kansas | 27 | 38.6 | $321 | 2.94% | $936 |
Texas | 28 | 38.5 | $302 | 3.01% | $8,761 |
Georgia | 29 | 37.1 | $268 | 3.09% | $2,849 |
Hawaii | 30 | 36.8 | $358 | 2.71% | $507 |
Virginia | 31 | 34.6 | $302 | 2.84% | $2,576 |
Pennsylvania | 32 | 34.5 | $337 | 2.69% | $4,309 |
Oregon | 33 | 32.4 | $359 | 2.51% | $1,513 |
Utah | 34 | 30.3 | $291 | 2.69% | $931 |
Massachusetts | 35 | 30.1 | $350 | 2.45% | $2,412 |
Wyoming | 36 | 29.7 | $391 | 2.26% | $226 |
Vermont | 37 | 29.4 | $340 | 2.45% | $212 |
Alabama | 38 | 29.3 | $278 | 2.70% | $1,362 |
South Carolina | 39 | 28.3 | $277 | 2.66% | $1,424 |
South Dakota | 40 | 26.8 | $253 | 2.69% | $223 |
Michigan | 41 | 26.3 | $278 | 2.56% | $2,773 |
Mississippi | 42 | 25.0 | $264 | 2.56% | $785 |
Washington | 43 | 23.5 | $307 | 2.32% | $2,340 |
Arkansas | 44 | 21.7 | $239 | 2.51% | $723 |
North Dakota | 45 | 20.5 | $299 | 2.22% | $228 |
Iowa | 46 | 20.0 | $273 | 2.30% | $861 |
Maine | 47 | 19.1 | $244 | 2.38% | $328 |
Nebraska | 48 | 18.5 | $274 | 2.23% | $531 |
Indiana | 49 | 17.7 | $229 | 2.37% | $1,541 |
West Virginia | 50 | 16.0 | $237 | 2.26% | $426 |
Kentucky | 51 | 0.0 | $184 | 1.76% | $821 |
United States | 46.9 | $375 | 3.10% | $123,046 |
Corrections Spending
State | Rank | Score | Corrections
Per Capita
Spend | Corrections
% of
Total Spend | Corrections
Expenditures
($ Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia | 1 | 100.0 | $330 | 3.10% | $2,813 |
Alaska | 2 | 98.1 | $463 | 2.26% | $338 |
Delaware | 3 | 97.5 | $369 | 2.79% | $360 |
New Mexico | 4 | 97.2 | $356 | 2.86% | $747 |
California | 5 | 85.1 | $380 | 2.36% | $15,034 |
Wyoming | 6 | 82.7 | $388 | 2.24% | $224 |
Maryland | 7 | 82.0 | $324 | 2.60% | $1,960 |
Idaho | 8 | 79.4 | $252 | 2.95% | $450 |
Oregon | 9 | 77.9 | $340 | 2.38% | $1,435 |
Arizona | 10 | 77.3 | $253 | 2.87% | $1,843 |
Nevada | 11 | 73.5 | $263 | 2.71% | $809 |
Pennsylvania | 12 | 68.3 | $295 | 2.36% | $3,778 |
Nebraska | 13 | 64.5 | $285 | 2.31% | $551 |
Michigan | 14 | 61.3 | $257 | 2.37% | $2,571 |
Wisconsin | 15 | 60.0 | $259 | 2.33% | $1,510 |
Montana | 16 | 55.7 | $242 | 2.30% | $259 |
Florida | 17 | 55.7 | $223 | 2.41% | $4,796 |
Colorado | 18 | 53.8 | $252 | 2.19% | $1,449 |
South Dakota | 19 | 52.8 | $220 | 2.34% | $195 |
Georgia | 20 | 49.4 | $204 | 2.34% | $2,161 |
New York | 21 | 49.3 | $320 | 1.65% | $6,225 |
Texas | 22 | 48.2 | $221 | 2.20% | $6,403 |
New Jersey | 23 | 45.5 | $249 | 1.96% | $2,211 |
District of Columbia | 24 | 45.5 | $364 | 1.28% | $257 |
West Virginia | 25 | 45.0 | $221 | 2.11% | $397 |
North Carolina | 26 | 40.1 | $202 | 2.07% | $2,117 |
Rhode Island | 27 | 39.1 | $237 | 1.84% | $251 |
Oklahoma | 28 | 37.9 | $190 | 2.08% | $754 |
Washington | 29 | 37.6 | $237 | 1.79% | $1,808 |
Kentucky | 30 | 35.9 | $203 | 1.94% | $907 |
North Dakota | 31 | 34.7 | $233 | 1.73% | $178 |
Vermont | 32 | 31.6 | $230 | 1.66% | $143 |
Massachusetts | 33 | 31.2 | $233 | 1.63% | $1,605 |
Louisiana | 34 | 27.9 | $193 | 1.76% | $898 |
Tennessee | 35 | 26.4 | $176 | 1.82% | $1,200 |
Minnesota | 36 | 26.0 | $208 | 1.62% | $1,172 |
Arkansas | 37 | 25.9 | $174 | 1.82% | $524 |
Kansas | 38 | 25.2 | $188 | 1.72% | $547 |
Maine | 39 | 24.6 | $179 | 1.75% | $241 |
Utah | 40 | 24.4 | $185 | 1.71% | $592 |
Ohio | 41 | 24.1 | $192 | 1.66% | $2,246 |
Indiana | 42 | 22.2 | $168 | 1.74% | $1,132 |
Mississippi | 43 | 20.1 | $171 | 1.66% | $510 |
Alabama | 44 | 20.0 | $171 | 1.66% | $838 |
Illinois | 45 | 19.3 | $188 | 1.54% | $2,383 |
New Hampshire | 46 | 17.8 | $162 | 1.65% | $220 |
Missouri | 47 | 17.3 | $159 | 1.65% | $977 |
Connecticut | 48 | 16.5 | $181 | 1.50% | $646 |
South Carolina | 49 | 12.2 | $157 | 1.51% | $809 |
Hawaii | 50 | 7.6 | $171 | 1.29% | $242 |
Iowa | 51 | 0.0 | $145 | 1.22% | $458 |
United States | 49.6 | $250 | 2.07% | $82,175 |
Expert Insight on Police Spending and State Budgeting
States obtain funds through a combination of state, local and property taxes. Additional revenue may also come from tourism and various types of licenses. To get a better sense of how state policing and corrections budgets can affect people served by these systems, we spoke to experts familiar with state and local budgets and how police and corrections expenditures affect other programs.
- How does state spending on policing and corrections affect local areas?
- How can taxpayers let states and cities know how they feel about expenditures on corrections and policing?
- Corrections spending represents 40% of the combined spending on policing and corrections. How are these expenditures related, and what does this spending mean for state and local budgets?
Hartford City Councilman and Public Defender
Ph.D. in American Studies
Professor of Law and Director of the Center on Race, Law, and Justice at Fordham Law School
Methodology
To determine which states spend the most and least on policing and corrections, MoneyGeek reviewed expenditures for each state, including state and local (municipal and county) government expenditures. We then used the following metrics to determine final scores and rankings:
Per Capita Spend on Policing and Corrections (full weight, 50%): This value is calculated as the combined expenditures on policing and corrections divided by the state's population and is scaled to a range from 0 to 100.
Police and Corrections Spend as a Percentage of All Spend (full weight, 50%): This value is calculated as the combined policing and corrections expenditures divided by the total amounts spent by state and local governments and is scaled to a range from 0 to 100.
Red and blue labels were used to define each state by the voting history in the past five presidential elections. States where the republican candidate won three out of the five elections were labeled as red, and states where the Democratic candidate won three out of the five elections were labeled as blue.
About the Author
sources
- U.S. Census. "2019 National and State Population Estimates." Accessed October 5, 2021.
- U.S. Census. "2019 State & Local Government Finance Historical Datasets and Tables." Accessed October 5, 2021.