NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
April 16, 1998
Per capita state government expenditures of $3,204 in 1996 rank North Dakota 24th in per capita spending among all states in the nation, according to a recent "Economic Brief" from the State Data Center at North Dakota State University. North Dakota State government expenditures totaled $2.1 billion in 1996, a 3.1 percent increase from 1992.
The largest portion of the 1996 budget was spent on education, $1,094.52 per capita, yet per-pupil spending was relatively low—North Dakota ranked 41st in the nation in per-pupil spending in higher education.
"Although a sizable portion of our state budget is dedicated to education, both K-12 and higher education, the geographic size of the state combined with a low student population base makes the per-pupil expenditure relatively low," said Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center.
"For example, in 1996 North Dakota ranked 43rd in the nation for per-pupil expenditures for K-12 public schools at $4,785, and 41st for higher education at $3,856 per pupil. The national average for K-12 public schools was $6,103 and for higher education $4,662 in 1996."
South Dakota ranked 40th in K-12 per-pupil expenditures in 1996 while Minnesota ranked 20th. South Dakota ranked 46th in higher education per-pupil expenditures while Minnesota ranked 15th.
Total spending on education in North Dakota has risen over the past twelve years, but the proportion of total spending going towards education has fallen from 38.1 percent in 1984 to 34.2 percent in 1996. In contrast, state spending for public welfare increased from 10 percent to 17.5 percent during this period.
North Dakota ranked 11th in the nation for per-capita state highway expenditures, fourth in per-capita state natural resource expenditures, and 49th and 50th in per-capita state police protection and corrections expenditures in 1996.
[EDITORS: FOR A BREAKDOWN OF NORTH DAKOTA STATE EXPENDITURES, AND COMPARISONS WITH ALL OTHER STATES, SEE YELLOW PUBLICATION FOLLOWING THIS STORY, "STATE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES, 1996." THIS PUBLICATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE DATA CENTER, BOX 5636, NDSU, FARGO, ND 58105.]
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NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Richard Rathge (701) 231-8621
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866
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