Table 42
State & Local Welfare Spending Per Capita, 1996
Rank	State	Amt.		Rank	State	Amt.
1	NEW YORK	$1,377		27	Georgia	$638
2	Alaska	1,027		28	Arkansas	632
3	Maine	1,026		29	Iowa	627
4	Minnesota	1,003		30	North Carolina	626
5	Massachusetts	949		31	Nebraska	616
6	New Jersey	888		32	North Dakota	613
7	New Hampshire	886		33	Montana	597
8	Rhode Island	876		34	Arizona	593
9	West Virginia	870		35	Mississippi	592
10	Connecticut	860		36	Maryland	584
11	Vermont	857		37	Colorado	561
12	Pennsylvania	818		38	South Dakota	559
13	Hawaii	772		39	Indiana	555
14	Wisconsin	761		40	Alabama	554
15	California	756		41	Missouri	550
16	Illinois	745		42	Texas	536
17	Kentucky	718		43	Wyoming	533
18	Tennessee	709		44	Florida	513
19	Ohio	707		45	Oklahoma	493
20	Michigan	705		46	Virginia	493
21	South Carolina	692		47	Utah	480
22	Washington	687		48	Idaho	471
23	Louisiana	684		49	Kansas	440
24	New Mexico	683		50	Nevada	436
25	Oregon	664		U.S. average		$729
26	Delaware	639		N.Y.S. % above avg.		88.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau data; calculations by The Public Policy Institute
The Census Bureau includes cash benefits as well as Medicaid and some other payments in its definition of "welfare."