How Much Does Your State Spend on Law Enforcement?

LA police car

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LA police car
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States Police

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.

Louisville Kentucky police
Roberto Galan/istockphoto

Kentucky

Total police budget: $829 million
Total number of residents: 4.5 million
Per capita spending on police: $186

Cedar Lake, Indiana police
Roberto Galan/istockphoto

Indiana

Total police budget: $1.3 billion
Total number of residents: 6.6 million
Per capita spending on police: $200

West Virginia police
Roberto Galan/istockphoto

West Virginia

Total police budget: $395 million
Total number of residents: 1.8 million
Per capita spending on police: $217

Little Rock police car
csfotoimages/istockphoto

Arkansas

Total police budget: $671 million
Total number of residents: 3 million
Per capita spending on police: $224

Maine police boat
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Maine

Total police budget: $310 million
Total number of residents: 1.3 million
Per capita spending on police: $232

Utah police
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Utah

Total police budget: $743 million
Total number of residents: 3.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $239

Rapid City, South Dakota
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

South Dakota

Total police budget: $210 million
Total number of residents: 873,000
Per capita spending on police: $241

Detroit Michigan police
RiverNorthPhotography/istockphoto

Michigan

Total police budget: $2.6 billion
Total number of residents: 10 million
Per capita spending on police: $255

Oxford Mississippi police
csfotoimages/istockphoto

Mississippi

Total police budget: $767 million
Total number of residents: 3 million
Per capita spending on police: $257

A police station in Des Moines, Iowa
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Iowa

Total police budget: $813 million
Total number of residents: 3.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $259

Omaha Nebraska
Matt Bills/istockphoto

Nebraska

Total police budget: $498 million
Total number of residents: 1.9 million
Per capita spending on police: $260

Prattville Police in Alabama
Jacqueline Nix/istockphoto

Alabama

Total police budget: $1.3 billion
Total number of residents: 4.9 million
Per capita spending on police: $261

South Carolina police
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South Carolina

Total police budget: $1.3 billion
Total number of residents: 5 million
Per capita spending on police: $261

Atlanta Police Motorbikes
SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto

Georgia

Total police budget: $2.7 billion
Total number of residents: 10.4 million
Per capita spending on police: $262

Boise, Idaho Police SUV
C5Media/istockphoto

Idaho

Total police budget: $454 million
Total number of residents: 1.7 million
Per capita spending on police: $264

Oklahoma police
Susan Vineyard/istockphoto

Oklahoma

Total police budget: $1.1 billion
Total number of residents: 3.9 million
Per capita spending on police: $266

Seattle Washington police
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Washington

Total police budget: $2.1 billion
Total number of residents: 7.4 million
Per capita spending on police: $277

Dallas Texas police car
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Texas

Total police budget: $8.2 billion
Total number of residents: 28.3 million
Per capita spending on police: $289

Tennessee police motorcycles
csfotoimages/istockphoto

Tennessee

Total police budget: $2 billion
Total number of residents: 6.7 million
Per capita spending on police: $295

Kansas City police
JSantiagoPhoto/istockphoto

Kansas

Total police budget: $862 million
Total number of residents: 2.9 million
Per capita spending on police: $296

Missouri police
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Missouri

Total police budget: $1.8 billion
Total number of residents: 6.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $296

Virginia police
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Virginia

Total police budget: $2.5 billion
Total number of residents: 8.5 million
Per capita spending on police: $298

Montana police
csfotoimages/istockphoto

Montana

Total police budget: $315 million
Total number of residents: 1.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $299

Philadelphia Pennsylvania police
Bastiaan Slabbers/istockphoto

Pennsylvania

Total police budget: $3.9 billion
Total number of residents: 12.8 million
Per capita spending on police: $302

North Dakota police
csfotoimages/istockphoto

North Dakota

Total police budget: $232 million
Total number of residents: 755,000
Per capita spending on police: $307

New Hampshire police
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New Hampshire

Total police budget: $420 million
Total number of residents: 1.4 million
Per capita spending on police: $311

Asheville police station
RiverNorthPhotography/istockphoto

North Carolina

Total police budget: $3.2 billion
Total number of residents: 10.3 million
Per capita spending on police: $313

Wisconsin police
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Wisconsin

Total police budget: $1.9 billion
Total number of residents: 5.8 million
Per capita spending on police: $322

Ohio police
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Ohio

Total police budget: $3.8 billion
Total number of residents: 11.7 million
Per capita spending on police: $327

Jefferson County Colorado police
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Colorado

Total police budget: $1.9 billion
Total number of residents: 5.6 million
Per capita spending on police: $330

Stamford, CT police
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Connecticut

Total police budget: $1.2 billion
Total number of residents: 3.6 million
Per capita spending on police: $330

Oregon police
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Oregon

Total police budget: $1.4 billion
Total number of residents: 4.2 million
Per capita spending on police: $331

New Mexico police
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New Mexico

Total police budget: $706 million
Total number of residents: 2.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $337

Honolulu Police car
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Hawaii

Total police budget: $482 million
Total number of residents: 1.4 million
Per capita spending on police: $338

Bennington Vermont police station
Jen Lobo/istockphoto

Vermont

Total police budget: $219 million
Total number of residents: 625,000
Per capita spending on police: $350

New Orleans police officer
Joel Carillet/istockphoto

Louisiana

Total police budget: $1.7 billion
Total number of residents: 4.7 million
Per capita spending on police: $352

Phoenix police car downtown
pabst_ell/istockphoto

Arizona

Total police budget: $2.5 billion
Total number of residents: 7.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $355

Minnesota police office on horseback
JoeChristensen/istockphoto

Minnesota

Total police budget: $2 billion
Total number of residents: 5.6 million
Per capita spending on police: $356

Boston Massachusetts police
LornaWu/istockphoto

Massachusetts

Total police budget: $2.6 billion
Total number of residents: 6.9 million
Per capita spending on police: $377

Wyoming police
RiverNorthPhotography/istockphoto

Wyoming

Total police budget: $224 million
Total number of residents: 579,000 residents
Per capita spending on police: $387

Lewes, Delaware police boat
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Delaware

Total police budget: $379 million
Total number of residents: 957,000
Per capita spending on police: $396

New Jersey police
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New Jersey

Total police budget: $3.6 billion
Total number of residents: 9 million
Per capita spending on police: $401

Miami beach police car
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Florida

Total police budget: $8.5 billion
Total number of residents: 21 million
Per capita spending on police: $406

Chicago police
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Illinois

Total police budget: $5.3 billion
Total number of residents: 12.8 million
Per capita spending on police: $413

Las Vegas Nevada police
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Nevada

Total police budget: $1.3 billion
Total number of residents: 3 million
Per capita spending on police: $427

Harbor Master patrolling Newport Harbor in Rhode Island
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Rhode Island

Total police budget: $454 million
Total number of residents: 1.1 million
Per capita spending on police: $430

Baltimore police officer
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Maryland

Total police budget: $2.7 billion
Total number of residents: 6 million
Per capita spending on police: $443

San Diego police
Andrei Stanescu/istockphoto

California

Total police budget: $19.2 billion
Total number of residents: 39 million
Per capita spending on police: $487

Fairbanks Police Station
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Alaska

Total police budget: $365 million
Total number of residents: 740,000
Per capita spending on police: $493

New York police officers
Joel Carillet/istockphoto

New York

Total police budget: $10.4 billion
Total number of residents: 19.6 million
Per capita spending on police: $530

Police Vehicles in Washington DC
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District of Columbia

Total police budget: $633 million
Total number of residents: 696,000
Per capita spending on police: $910