Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry – According to figures from
the U.S. Census Bureau, Nebraska led the nation when comparing percentages of
state and local government general spending for all education. According
to the Census data, 40.0% of all Nebraska’s state and local government direct
general expenditures went to some form of education — primarily K-12 and
higher education. Nebraska’s percentage of total education spending was
6.1% more than the U.S. median figure. The figures are from school year
2011-12, the latest year available. When analyzing the same data from
neighboring states, Kansas was No. 14 nationally, as its state and local
governments dedicated 36.7% of general expenditures to all education, while No.
33 Wyoming dedicated 32.6%. Other neighboring states fell somewhere
in-between those figures. When considering per capita expenditures of
state and local governments for all education, Nebraska is ranked No. 10
highest, according to the Census Bureau.