JLARC Report

How Washington compares to other states

About the Report

July 2022

National data compares Washington to other states

JLARC staff prepared this reference guide for Washington legislators to compare Washington to other states in five areas:

Population, economy, health, and environment
Government spending and debt
Education costs and spending
Taxes and revenue
Public assistance, transportation, and public safety spending

This report presents information from national datasets. Our intent is to make these public data sources more accessible and interactive.

Data sources and notes

Data in this report comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Association of State Budget Officers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Highway Administration, and other national data sources.

How to read the data

This report presents national data in an interactive format.

Maps are shaded to highlight the top 25% and bottom 25% states for each comparison.
Data from prior years is not adjusted for inflation.
The 50-state average shown in each table weights each state equally and excludes the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Per capita amounts are calculated using mid-year population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

Eleven measures compare Washington to other states in population, economy, health, and environment

Key		Measure increased from last year
Key		Measure decreased from last year

Click on a link below to view the interactive data in Tableau, where you can view the 5-year trend line for each measure and filter by state.

	Rank	Measure	1-Year Trend
1. Population (CY 2021)	13	7,738,692
2. Percentage change in population (CY 2021-2021)	7	13.3%
3. Personal income per capita (CY 2020)	6	$67,126
4. Gross domestic product per capita by state (CY 2020)	3	$78,540
5. Annual unemployment rate (CY 2020)	11	8.4%
6. Percentage of population living in poverty in past 12 months (CY 2019) Note: Not updated due to US Census delays.	42	9.8%
7. Percentage of population under age 65 with health insurance (CY 2019) Note: Not updated due to US Census delays.	14	92.3%	N/A
8. Infant mortality rate (CY 2019)	46	4.1
9. Percentage of adults age 25+ with at least a high school education (CY 2019) Note: Not updated due to US Census delays.	17	91.7%	N/A
10. Percentage of adults aged 18 and older who have obesity (CY 2020)	44	28.0%
11. CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion per capita (CY 2018) Note: Unchanged due to data collection changes	42	10.89	N/A

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

Eight measures compare Washington to other states in government spending and debt

Key		Measure increased from last year
Key		Measure decreased from last year

Click on a link below to view the interactive data in Tableau, where you can view the 5-year trend line for each measure and filter by state.

	Rank	Measure	1-Year Trend
12. Federal grants per capita (Federal FY20)	28	$2,696
13. Federal expenditures per capita (Federal FY20)	39	$11,309
14. State expenditures per capita (State FY20)	26	$7,058
15. Average annual percentage change in state expenditures per capita (State FY11-FY20)	10	2.7%
16. General fund expenditures per capita (State FY20)	13	$3,115
17. State and local debt outstanding per capita (State FY19)	9	$12,418
18. State government FTEs per 100 persons (CY20)	20	1.74
19. Bond ratings (December 2021)	17	AA+	No change

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

Five measures compare Washington to other states in education costs and spending

Key		Measure increased from last year
Key		Measure decreased from last year

Click on a link below to view the interactive data in Tableau, where you can view the 5-year trend line for each measure and filter by state.

	Rank	Measure	1-Year Trend
20. State and local per pupil funding, pre-K through 12 (School year 2018-19)	14	$16,295
21. State per pupil funding pre-K through 12 (School year 2018-19)	5	$11,928
22. Average annual in-state tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions (School year 2021-22)	23	$10,900
23. Percentage change to in-state tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions (School years 2016-17 to 2021-22)	10	5.0%
24. Higher education appropriations per FTE student (FY20)	20	$8,610

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

Seven measures compare Washington to other states in taxes and revenue

Key		Measure increased from last year
Key		Measure decreased from last year

Click on a link below to view the interactive data in Tableau, where you can view the 5-year trend line for each measure and filter by state.

	Rank	Measure	1-Year Trend
25. State revenue per capita (State FY19)	17	$8,639
26. Local revenue per capita (State FY19)	5	$7,821
27. State and local revenue as percentage of personal income (State FY19)	23	22.4%
28. State taxes per capita (State FY19)	12	$3,676
29. Local taxes per capita (State FY19)	16	$2,364
30. State and local taxes per capita (State FY19)	14	$6,041
31. State and local taxes as percentage of personal income (State FY19)	25	9.6%

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

Four measures compare Washington to other states in public assistance, transportation, and public safety spending

Key		Measure increased from last year
Key		Measure decreased from last year

Click on a link below to view the interactive data in Tableau, where you can view the 5-year trend line for each measure and filter by state.

	Rank	Measure	1-Year Trend
32. Medicaid expenditures per capita (Federal FY20)	15	$2,416
33. Percentage of total state expenditures for public assistance (State FY19)	45	20.4%
34. State and local road expenditures per capita (State FY19)	25	$614
35. State public safety expenditures per capita (State FY19)	22	$236	No change

2022 How Washington Compares

July 2022

This report presents information from national datasets

Population, economy, health, and environment

Population (2021)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: Population estimates are based on the 2020 census and are updated annually.
Percentage change in population (2011-2021)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Per capita personal income (2020)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - Interactive data.
Note: Personal income is income from net earnings, property, and transfer payments such as Social Security and unemployment benefits. Personal income includes contributions to government social insurance and excludes the deduction of personal taxes.
Per capita gross domestic product by state (2020)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - Interactive data.
Note: Gross domestic product by state is the sum of all value added by industries within a state.
Annual unemployment rate (2020)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rates for States, Annual Averages.
Note: The unemployment rate is the percentage of people 16 years or older who did not have a job but were available for and have looked for work in the past four weeks.
Percentage of population living in poverty in past 12 months (2019)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
Note: Thresholds are updated annually for changes in the cost of living and do not vary across the U.S.
Percentage of population under age 65 with health insurance (2019)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.
Note: Health insurance is classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as insurance provided through an employer or a union, or purchased by an individual from a private company or government coverage. This includes Medicare, Medicaid, military health care, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and individual state health plans.
Infant mortality rate (2019)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Linked Birth / Infant Death Records.
Note: Infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths before age one per 1,000 live births.
Percentage of adults age 25+ with at least a high school education (2019)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Educational Attainment, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Note: Includes GEDs and equivalent.
Percent of adults aged 18 and older who have obesity (2020)
Source: CDC: Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Data, Trends, and Maps, 2014-2020
Per capita CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion (2018)
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 1990-2018

Government spending and debt

Per capita federal grants (Federal FY20)
Source: USAspending.gov; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: Federal grants are funds that are awarded to a non-federal entity for a defined public or private purpose in which services are not rendered to the federal government. Includes cooperative agreements.
Per capita federal expenditures (Federal FY20)
Source: USAspending.gov; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: Federal expenditures in the state consist of contracts, grants, direct payments, federally funded insurance programs, loans/guarantees, and all other reimbursable, contingent, intangible, and indirect financial assistance. USAspending.gov data is complete for federal grants and contracts but not for the retirement benefits, non-retirement benefits, and salaries for federal employees. Therefore, data presented here does not include all federal spending in a state.
Per capita state expenditures (State FY20)
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers, State Expenditure Report; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Average annual percentage change in per capita state expenditures (State FY11-FY20)
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers, State Expenditure Report; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Supplemental Files.
Note: Figures in this comparison are adjusted for inflation and population growth over the FY08- FY17 period, and include capital spending
Per capita general fund expenditures (State FY20)
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers, State Expenditure Report; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: The general fund, the predominant fund for financing state operations, receives revenues from broad-based state taxes. Specific functions are financed differently from state to state.
Per capita state and local debt outstanding (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
State government FTEs per 100 persons (CY20)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments: Employment; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: The full-time equivalent (FTE) calculation incorporates the hours of both full- and part-time employees; total part-time hours are apportioned as though they had been worked by full-time employees.
State bond ratings (December 2021)
Source: Washington State Treasurer’s Office, State General Obligation Bond Ratings.
Note: States are ranked based on the average value of their bond ratings on a 10-point scale, with AAA rating equal to 10 points. For states with no general obligation debt, shown are the rates they would likely receive if they did issue general obligation debt.

Education costs and spending

State and local per pupil funding, pre-K through 12 (School year 2018-19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments: Public Education Finances.
Note: Excludes revenue from and payments to other school systems. Excludes expenditures for adult education, community services, and other non-elementary and secondary programs. Includes the finances of charter schools whose charters are held directly by a government or a government agency.
State per pupil funding pre-K through 12 (School year 2018-19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments: Public Education Finances.
Note: Excludes revenue from and payments to other school systems. Excludes expenditures for adult education, community services, and other non-elementary and secondary programs. Includes the finances of charter schools whose charters are held directly by a government or a government agency.
Average annual in-state tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions (School year 2021-22)
Source: College Board, Trends in College Pricing.
Note: Excludes room and board.
Percentage change to in-state tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions (School years 2016-17 to 2021-22)
Source: College Board, Trends in College Pricing.
Note: College Board uses the Consumer Price Index, All Urban Consumers to adjust for inflation.
Higher education appropriations per FTE student (FY20)
Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, State Higher Education Finance Report.
Note: Includes appropriations for state-supported community colleges, 2-year colleges, and public undergraduate and graduate programs. Education appropriations include state and local support for public higher education operating expenses, including Recovery Act funds, and exclude appropriations for independent institutions, financial aid for students attending independent institutions, research, hospitals, and medical education. Full-time equivalent enrollment equates student credit hours to fulltime academic year students and excludes medical students.

Taxes and revenue

Per capita state revenue (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Per capita local revenue (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: Data is unavailable for Wisconsin.
State and local revenue as percentage of personal income (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - Interactive data.
Per capita state taxes (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Per capita local taxes (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Per capita state and local taxes (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
State and local taxes as percentage of personal income (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - Interactive data.

Public assistance, transportation, and public safety spending

Per capita Medicaid expenditures (Federal FY20)
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts: Total Medicaid Spending; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Note: Does not include administrative costs or accounting adjustments.
Percentage of total state expenditures for public assistance (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.
Per capita state and local road expenditures (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population; U.S. Federal Highway Administration: Highway Statistics.
Note: Road expenditures include maintenance, operation, repair, and construction of highways, streets, and roads; and capital expenditure for purchase or construction.
Per capita state public safety expenditures (State FY19)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finances by Level of Government and by State; Annual Estimates of the Resident Population.

Washington Joint Legislative
Audit and Review Committee

106 11th Avenue SW, Suite 2500
PO Box 40910
Olympia, WA 98504-0910

Phone: 360-786-5171
Email: JLARC@leg.wa.gov