With the nation experiencing weeks of protests and unrest since the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, police departments across the country are in the spotlight like never before. There have even been calls from coast to coast to defund the police, which would involve taking money from state and local police and reinvesting it in communities, mental health services, and social services programs. Given the calls to reassess how much public funding is being spent on police protection, we took a closer look at annual state spending per person on law enforcement, including spending by local governments within each state, using 2017 data, the most recent available from the Tax Policy Center.
Note: Figures have been rounded for display purposes; totals were calculated using non-rounded figures.
Kentucky
Total police budget: $829 million Total number of residents: 4.5 million Per capita spending on police: $186
Indiana
Total police budget: $1.3 billion Total number of residents: 6.6 million Per capita spending on police: $200
West Virginia
Total police budget: $395 million Total number of residents: 1.8 million Per capita spending on police: $217
Arkansas
Total police budget: $671 million Total number of residents: 3 million Per capita spending on police: $224
Maine
Total police budget: $310 million Total number of residents: 1.3 million Per capita spending on police: $232
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Utah
Total police budget: $743 million Total number of residents: 3.1 million Per capita spending on police: $239
South Dakota
Total police budget: $210 million Total number of residents: 873,000 Per capita spending on police: $241
Michigan
Total police budget: $2.6 billion Total number of residents: 10 million Per capita spending on police: $255
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Mississippi
Total police budget: $767 million Total number of residents: 3 million Per capita spending on police: $257
Iowa
Total police budget: $813 million Total number of residents: 3.1 million Per capita spending on police: $259
Nebraska
Total police budget: $498 million Total number of residents: 1.9 million Per capita spending on police: $260
Alabama
Total police budget: $1.3 billion Total number of residents: 4.9 million Per capita spending on police: $261
South Carolina
Total police budget: $1.3 billion Total number of residents: 5 million Per capita spending on police: $261
Georgia
Total police budget: $2.7 billion Total number of residents: 10.4 million Per capita spending on police: $262
Idaho
Total police budget: $454 million Total number of residents: 1.7 million Per capita spending on police: $264
Oklahoma
Total police budget: $1.1 billion Total number of residents: 3.9 million Per capita spending on police: $266
Washington
Total police budget: $2.1 billion Total number of residents: 7.4 million Per capita spending on police: $277
Texas
Total police budget: $8.2 billion Total number of residents: 28.3 million Per capita spending on police: $289
Tennessee
Total police budget: $2 billion Total number of residents: 6.7 million Per capita spending on police: $295
Kansas
Total police budget: $862 million Total number of residents: 2.9 million Per capita spending on police: $296
Missouri
Total police budget: $1.8 billion Total number of residents: 6.1 million Per capita spending on police: $296
Virginia
Total police budget: $2.5 billion Total number of residents: 8.5 million Per capita spending on police: $298
Montana
Total police budget: $315 million Total number of residents: 1.1 million Per capita spending on police: $299
Pennsylvania
Total police budget: $3.9 billion Total number of residents: 12.8 million Per capita spending on police: $302
North Dakota
Total police budget: $232 million Total number of residents: 755,000 Per capita spending on police: $307
New Hampshire
Total police budget: $420 million Total number of residents: 1.4 million Per capita spending on police: $311
North Carolina
Total police budget: $3.2 billion Total number of residents: 10.3 million Per capita spending on police: $313
Wisconsin
Total police budget: $1.9 billion Total number of residents: 5.8 million Per capita spending on police: $322
Ohio
Total police budget: $3.8 billion Total number of residents: 11.7 million Per capita spending on police: $327
Colorado
Total police budget: $1.9 billion Total number of residents: 5.6 million Per capita spending on police: $330
Connecticut
Total police budget: $1.2 billion Total number of residents: 3.6 million Per capita spending on police: $330
Oregon
Total police budget: $1.4 billion Total number of residents: 4.2 million Per capita spending on police: $331
New Mexico
Total police budget: $706 million Total number of residents: 2.1 million Per capita spending on police: $337
Hawaii
Total police budget: $482 million Total number of residents: 1.4 million Per capita spending on police: $338
Vermont
Total police budget: $219 million Total number of residents: 625,000 Per capita spending on police: $350
Louisiana
Total police budget: $1.7 billion Total number of residents: 4.7 million Per capita spending on police: $352
Arizona
Total police budget: $2.5 billion Total number of residents: 7.1 million Per capita spending on police: $355
Minnesota
Total police budget: $2 billion Total number of residents: 5.6 million Per capita spending on police: $356
Massachusetts
Total police budget: $2.6 billion Total number of residents: 6.9 million Per capita spending on police: $377
Wyoming
Total police budget: $224 million Total number of residents: 579,000 residents Per capita spending on police: $387
Delaware
Total police budget: $379 million Total number of residents: 957,000 Per capita spending on police: $396
New Jersey
Total police budget: $3.6 billion Total number of residents: 9 million Per capita spending on police: $401
Florida
Total police budget: $8.5 billion Total number of residents: 21 million Per capita spending on police: $406
Illinois
Total police budget: $5.3 billion Total number of residents: 12.8 million Per capita spending on police: $413
Nevada
Total police budget: $1.3 billion Total number of residents: 3 million Per capita spending on police: $427
Rhode Island
Total police budget: $454 million Total number of residents: 1.1 million Per capita spending on police: $430
Maryland
Total police budget: $2.7 billion Total number of residents: 6 million Per capita spending on police: $443
California
Total police budget: $19.2 billion Total number of residents: 39 million Per capita spending on police: $487
Alaska
Total police budget: $365 million Total number of residents: 740,000 Per capita spending on police: $493
New York
Total police budget: $10.4 billion Total number of residents: 19.6 million Per capita spending on police: $530
District of Columbia
Total police budget: $633 million Total number of residents: 696,000 Per capita spending on police: $910
