How much money is spent, per pupil, on elementary and secondary education in the 11 Midwestern states?
During the 2001-02 school year, the most recent year in which statistics are available from the U.S. Census Bureau, per-pupil spending in this region ranged from a high of $8,574 in Wisconsin to a low of $6,319 in South Dakota. The figures include money from federal, state and local revenue sources. Per-student expenditures across the nation averaged $7,701, a figure eclipsed in four Midwestern states Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Among the 50 U.S. states, New York spent the most per student ($11,546), while Utah spent the least ($4,890). The Census Bureau provides comprehensive education finance statistics on its Web site (www.census.gov) for every school year between 1991-92 and 2001-02. Over that time period, the data show, U.S. per-pupil spending rose 54 percent, from $5,001 to $7,701. In the Midwest, Indiana had the greatest increase, 63.3 percent, which explains why it moved from a spending ranking of 31st in 1991-92 to 22nd in 2001-02. Other states in the region moving
