Census Bureau tool shows comparisons of government spending, revenue

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a tool that allows one to compare how much state and local governments spend on things like education, health and welfare, transportation and administration. The State & Local Government Snapshot is “the most comprehensive and compact view of government data ever created by the Census Bureau,” according to the federal agency.

The tool also shows revenue and employment data for state and local governments. The most recent data is from 2015 and can be compared to previous years going back to 2012.

Between 2012 and 2015, the amount the District of Columbia spent rose 8.7% to $22,762 per person, the highest per capita amount of any U.S. state or area. Over the same period, the amount state and local governments in Arkansas spent increased 7.9% to $8,189 per person.

In 2015, Arkansas spent 34.6% of its total expenditures on health and welfare, receiving the highest percentage of the expenditures. In 2012, health and welfare received 31.1% of expenditures, and education received the highest percentage of the expenditures, at 37.4%. In 2015, education accounted for 34% of total expenditures.

By comparison, the United States spent 30.9% of expenditures, or $948.5 billion, on education in 2015, and 30.2% of expenditures, or $929.3 billion, on health and welfare that year.

Between 2012 and 2015, the amount of revenue the District of Columbia received increased 10.1% to $21,165 per person. Over the same period, the amount of revenue state and local governments in Arkansas received rose 9.9% to $8,269 per person. In 2015, Arkansas received 29.5% of its revenue from the federal government, up from 28.2% in 2012. In 2015, it received 23.2% of revenue from sales tax, up from 23% in 2012.

“With our tool, individuals can examine an aggregate of local governments, state government, or combine the data for the most complete picture,” said Melinda Caskey, a survey statistician who helped create the tool. “Our tool also allows people to compare their state to other states.”