Table 24
State and Local Government Spending Per Capita, 1996
Rank	State	Amt.		Rank	State	Amt.
1	Alaska	$11,886		27	Maine	4,832
2	NEW YORK	$7,990		28	South Carolina	4,829
3	Hawaii	6,393		29	Georgia	4,778
4	Wyoming	6,326		30	Montana	4,777
5	Washington	6,255		31	Florida	4,763
6	New Jersey	6,138		32	Louisiana	4,753
7	Connecticut	6,047		33	Kansas	4,749
8	Massachusetts	6,014		34	Iowa	4,722
9	Minnesota	5,988		35	North Carolina	4,640
10	California	5,876		36	West Virginia	4,620
11	Delaware	5,818		37	North Dakota	4,593
12	Oregon	5,761		38	Arizona	4,523
13	Rhode Island	5,638		39	Alabama	4,517
14	Nebraska	5,440		40	New Hampshire	4,468
15	Wisconsin	5,183		41	Texas	4,365
16	Michigan	5,115		42	Virginia	4,349
17	Illinois	5,044		43	Mississippi	4,312
18	Colorado	5,023		44	Kentucky	4,288
19	New Mexico	5,019		45	Idaho	4,267
20	Pennsylvania	5,006		46	South Dakota	4,211
21	Nevada	4,960		47	Indiana	4,155
22	Utah	4,941		48	Oklahoma	4,110
23	Vermont	4,932		49	Missouri	4,033
24	Ohio	4,926		50	Arkansas	3,849
25	Maryland	4,872		U.S. average		$5,268
26	Tennessee	4,842		N.Y.S. % above avg.		51.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau data; calculations by The Public Policy Institute
Per-capita government spending in New York rose 22% from 1991-96, more than the inflation rate but slightly less than the national average.