President Obama and congressional Republicans appear to have found common ground in their opposition to earmarks, provisions that lawmakers insert into bills to divert funds to projects, often in their home states. Obama has called for reform of the popular practice, while top Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner have called for a ban on the provisions. If such rules are passed, certain states will have more to lose than others. Not surprisingly, states with the most representation in Congress also receive the most funding from earmarks. California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York are all among the top ten states in terms of both population and the number of earmark dollars they have received in 2010. But earmark spending is not equal; none of the top ten states in terms of population are among the top ten states in terms of earmarks per capita.
Hawaii Democrats Daniel Inouye, the No. 2 Senate earmarker, and Mazie Hirono, the No. 3 earmarker in the House, have helped to bring their small state to the top of the earmarks per capita list. Four of the five least-populous states made the top 10, including North Dakota, Vermont, South Dakota, and Alaska. However, Wyoming, the least-populous state, is a notable outlier. Aside from having the lowest population, the Equality State is also in last place in terms of earmarks per capita, with $10.58 for each of its 544,270 residents.
Below are the ten states that receive the most earmark dollars per capita.
| State | 2010 Earmarks |
Population (2009 est.) |
Earmark Dollars per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $412,202,850 | 1,295,178 | $318.26 |
| North Dakota | 151,105,350 | 646,844 | 233.60 |
| West Virginia | 316,174,700 | 1,819,777 | 173.74 |
| Vermont | 100,386,280 | 621,760 | 161.46 |
| Mississippi | 418,923,000 | 2,951,996 | 141.91 |
| Alaska | 97,622,850 | 698,473 | 139.77 |
| Montana | 121,651,450 | 974,989 | 124.77 |
| South Dakota | 91,154,150 | 812,383 | 112.21 |
| Rhode Island | 83,337,000 | 1,053,209 | 79.13 |
| Nevada | 208,996,975 | 2,643,085 | 79.07 |
And below are the ten states that receive the least earmark money per capita.
| State | 2010 Earmarks |
Population (2009 est.) |
Earmark Dollars per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $5,760,000 | 544,270 | $10.58 |
| Minnesota | $68,923,100 | 5,266,214 | 13.09 |
| Arizona | $98,031,000 | 6,595,778 | 14.86 |
| Georgia | $150,457,000 | 9,829,211 |
15.31 |
| New York | $300,808,165 | 19,541,453 |
15.39 |
| North Carolina | $157,349,900 | 9,380,884 | 16.77 |
| Illinois | $217,551,800 | 12,910,409 |
16.85 |
| Texas | $426,021,400 | 24,782,302 | 17.19 |
| Colorado | $87,997,500 | 5,024,748 | 17.51 |
| Indiana | $113,371,000 | 6,423,113 | 17.65 |
Sources: Taxpayers for Common Sense, U.S. Census Bureau
Reader Comments Read all comments (5)
Robert of AK 12:30PM July 31, 2011
amataga tiafala of HI 4:38AM November 23, 2010
amataga tiafala of HI 4:27AM November 23, 2010