Here Are The Cities That Spend The Most And The Least Of Their Budgets On Police Forces: Study

By Jake Dima 

Major cities spend anywhere from less than 5% to over 50% of their budgets on police, and per capita cost on residents varies dramatically in different places, a study conducted by a business insurance advisory firm showed.

Springfield, Missouri, leads the pack and spends about 50.7% of its $154 million budget on its police force. Conversely, Washington, D.C., spends 4.6% of its $13 million budget on police — the lowest percentage recorded, according to data generated by AdvisorSmith.

Other cities that spend a large proportion of their funds on law enforcement include: West Palm Beach, Florida (38.5%); Hollywood, Florida (36.9%); Coral Springs, Florida (35.8%); Davie, Florida (35.5%); and Charleston, South Carolina (35.3%).

Cities that comprise the low end of the proportion of officer funding include: New Haven, Connecticut, (5.1%), Chesapeake, Virginia (5.3%); New York City (5.4%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (5.4%); and Buffalo, New York (5.6%).

The average percentage of funding for a city to grant its police force is 19%, according to the study. Per capita numbers for police spending look drastically different, however, even when cost of living is adjusted.

Cleveland residents spend the most per capita at $772 a head, followed by Washington, D.C. ($737); Miami, Florida ($644); Las Vegas ($551); and Chicago ($535), the study found. Provo, Utah, residents spend the least at $147 a person.

The average per capita spending on police is around $407. Houston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and others come in below this mark, according to the study.

The study used U.S. Census Bureau data from 2017, which was indicated to be the earliest available, and studied 301 of the largest American cities that have over 100,000 residents.

This data came amid nationwide protests and riots, some of which demand reductions in police funding, following the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, video showed.

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