Skip to main content

Spending vs Population Growth

Is federal spending keeping pace with population changes? Compare growth rates across every state.

States Tracked

52

Spending Outpaces Pop

2 states

Spending growing faster than people

Pop Outpaces Spending

50 states

Population growing faster

U.S. states ranked by federal-spending growth versus population growth, showing the percentage gap and whether spending is outpacing population.
#StateSpending GrowthPop GrowthGapStatus
1New Mexico73.5%1.7%+71.8%Outpacing
2Puerto Rico0.0%-1.1%+1.1%Outpacing
3Texas-16.9%9.3%-26.2%Balanced
4Louisiana-32.8%-1.4%-31.4%Balanced
5Nebraska-40.9%4.2%-45.0%Balanced
6Arizona-40.4%5.8%-46.2%Balanced
7Wisconsin-44.3%2.6%-46.9%Balanced
8Tennessee-44.0%6.6%-50.7%Balanced
9Michigan-51.9%1.5%-53.5%Balanced
10Oklahoma-55.6%3.9%-59.5%Balanced
11Massachusetts-56.1%3.6%-59.8%Balanced
12Nevada-52.6%7.8%-60.4%Balanced
13New Hampshire-59.8%4.0%-63.8%Balanced
14Montana-59.0%7.1%-66.1%Balanced
15Kentucky-63.3%2.8%-66.1%Balanced
16Indiana-64.7%3.4%-68.1%Balanced
17Iowa-67.0%2.9%-69.9%Balanced
18California-70.2%-0.0%-70.2%Balanced
19Arkansas-69.0%2.5%-71.5%Balanced
20Wyoming-71.2%1.5%-72.7%Balanced
21Utah-63.0%11.0%-74.0%Balanced
22Minnesota-71.3%3.3%-74.6%Balanced
23Missouri-72.7%1.9%-74.6%Balanced
24Illinois-76.1%-0.1%-76.0%Balanced
25Florida-66.6%10.0%-76.6%Balanced
26Alaska-76.5%0.5%-76.9%Balanced
27West Virginia-79.3%-2.0%-77.3%Balanced
28Mississippi-79.0%-1.3%-77.7%Balanced
29Pennsylvania-76.3%2.1%-78.4%Balanced
30New York-77.4%1.6%-79.0%Balanced
31Virginia-76.4%3.5%-79.9%Balanced
32Connecticut-79.2%2.8%-82.0%Balanced
33District of Columbia-82.7%-0.3%-82.4%Balanced
34North Carolina-76.2%6.3%-82.5%Balanced
35Ohio-82.0%1.7%-83.7%Balanced
36Oregon-83.5%2.1%-85.6%Balanced
37New Jersey-80.1%6.8%-86.9%Balanced
38Georgia-80.7%6.3%-87.0%Balanced
39South Carolina-79.9%7.6%-87.5%Balanced
40Idaho-73.7%14.2%-88.0%Balanced
41Alabama-82.9%5.4%-88.3%Balanced
42Hawaii-87.4%1.6%-89.0%Balanced
43Kansas-87.5%2.0%-89.4%Balanced
44Rhode Island-84.7%5.0%-89.7%Balanced
45South Dakota-85.0%5.2%-90.2%Balanced
46Washington-84.8%5.7%-90.5%Balanced
47Colorado-86.2%4.6%-90.8%Balanced
48Maine-86.9%4.8%-91.7%Balanced
49Vermont-88.7%3.8%-92.5%Balanced
50Delaware-84.1%8.8%-92.8%Balanced
51North Dakota-88.1%4.8%-92.9%Balanced
52Maryland-89.7%3.7%-93.4%Balanced

Growth rates compare the earliest and most recent years of available data. “Outpacing” means federal spending is growing faster than the state's population.