Farm Subsidies Per Capita: Which States Get the Most Per Person?
Total spending tells one story. Per-capita spending tells another. When you divide farm subsidies by state population, the rankings shift dramatically — rural states with small populations dominate.
💡 Key Finding
North Dakota leads at $9836 per person — over 62x what California receives per person.
Farm Subsidies Per Capita by State
| # | State | Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $9836 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $7476 |
| 3 | Nebraska | $4065 |
| 4 | Iowa | $3648 |
| 5 | Montana | $3118 |
| 6 | Kansas | $2916 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $1420 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $1381 |
| 9 | Arkansas | $1354 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $1127 |
| 11 | Missouri | $926 |
| 12 | Idaho | $916 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $868 |
| 14 | Illinois | $662 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $638 |
| 16 | Indiana | $589 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $557 |
| 18 | Colorado | $488 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $486 |
| 20 | Texas | $412 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $380 |
| 22 | Oregon | $365 |
| 23 | Washington | $359 |
| 24 | Georgia | $334 |
| 25 | Vermont | $326 |
| 26 | Ohio | $319 |
| 27 | Alabama | $287 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $259 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $255 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $223 |
| 31 | Michigan | $217 |
| 32 | Utah | $181 |
| 33 | California | $159 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $144 |
| 35 | Delaware | $137 |
| 36 | Virginia | $127 |
| 37 | Maine | $120 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $111 |
| 39 | Florida | $103 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $102 |
| 41 | Arizona | $98 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $85 |
| 43 | Nevada | $73 |
| 44 | Maryland | $71 |
| 45 | New York | $65 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | $29 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $25 |
| 48 | New Jersey | $22 |
| 49 | Connecticut | $22 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $19 |
Why Per Capita Matters
Texas may receive the most total farm subsidy dollars, but when you account for population, the picture changes completely. States like North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas — with small populations and massive agricultural sectors — receive far more per person.
This means that in farming states, a much larger share of the state's economic activity is subsidized by federal taxpayers. The per-capita view raises important questions about how farm policy distributes costs and benefits across the country.
📊 Methodology
Farm subsidy data from USDA FSA (2017-2025). Population estimates from U.S. Census Bureau (2024). Per capita = total state subsidies ÷ state population.