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Public welfare share of state spending: U.S. states ranked (FY2023)

Measure: Public welfare share of state spending (%, derived). All 50 states with data in State government spending per person and by function by state, ranked from highest to lowest. Reference period: FY2023.

Licence: Public domain (U.S. federal government work).
Data last updated: 2026-11-09

Download full table CSV Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Table 1) (opens in a new tab)Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Population Estimates Program, July 1, 2023 resident population (denominator)) (opens in a new tab)

National value: 36.1 (United States).

Small states, hard to see on the map:

RI 36.4 %
DE 29.7 %
CT 17.9 %
NJ 31.8 %
MD 34.7 %
MA 44.3 %
VT 29.2 %
NH 34.2 %

Lowest: 17.9 to 26.2 %
Group 2: 26.2 to 31.8 %
Group 3: 31.8 to 34.7 %
Group 4: 34.7 to 39.9 %
Highest: 39.9 to 46.9 %

The map is a visual summary; every value is in the table below, which is the keyboard and screen-reader path. Groups are quintiles of the values shown (a derived grouping). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified. Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets, not to scale.

Rank is derived by Quadranac: 1 = highest value; ties share a rank. The ranked value is itself derived; see the source table for the method. Values are as published in the source table.

Note: State governments only; states differ in which services they fund directly and which are left to local governments. The District of Columbia is not covered.


1	Arizona	46.9
2	Massachusetts	44.3
3	New York	44.1
4	California	42.8
5	Maine	42.5
6	Kentucky	42
6	Ohio	42
8	Minnesota	41
9	Louisiana	40.1
10	Indiana	39.9
11	Pennsylvania	39.8
12	Illinois	37.9
13	Oklahoma	37.4
14	Oregon	37.3
15	West Virginia	37
16	Rhode Island	36.4
17	Tennessee	36
18	Arkansas	35.1
19	Montana	35
20	Maryland	34.7
21	Missouri	34.4
22	New Hampshire	34.2
23	Iowa	33.4
24	Nebraska	33.2
25	New Mexico	33
25	Texas	33
27	Virginia	32.8
28	Mississippi	32.6
29	Colorado	32.2
30	New Jersey	31.8
31	Wisconsin	31.4
32	North Carolina	30.4
33	Georgia	30.3
34	Florida	29.8
35	Delaware	29.7
36	Michigan	29.6
37	Alaska	29.3
38	Vermont	29.2
39	Idaho	26.2
39	Kansas	26.2
41	Nevada	25.8
42	South Dakota	25.5
43	South Carolina	25.4
44	Washington	25.3
45	Alabama	24.8
46	Hawaii	23.9
47	North Dakota	23.6
48	Utah	22.9
49	Wyoming	19.1
50	Connecticut	17.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, Table 1: State Government Finances by State (2023 ASFIN State Totals)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, July 1, 2023 resident population (denominator). Reference period: FY2023.

Cite this ranking

U.S. states ranked by public welfare share of state spending (%, derived) (FY2023). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, Table 1: State Government Finances by State (2023 ASFIN State Totals); rank derived by Quadranac. Data last updated 2026-11-09. https://quadranac.com/rankings/us-states-by-public-welfare-share-of-state-spending/

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