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In his farewell address to the nation in January 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower acknowledged that “a huge military establishment and a great armaments industry are new to the American experience.” At the time of this speech, the Cold War was in its second decade and Europe had just recovered from the ravages of World War II. Today, more than half a century later, the geopolitical context has changed considerably, but the relevance of the former president’s observation has not changed.
The United States spent $877 billion on defense in fiscal year 2022, more than the combined defense budgets of the next 10 countries with the highest military spending, including China, Russia, Ukraine and the UK.
Defense contractors, as well as military and civilian defense personnel, are spread across the country, and every year, federal government money flows into each of the 50 states.
The Department of Defense spent $885.2 million in West Virginia in 2021, the sixth-lowest amount among the states. About 57.1% of the Pentagon’s spending in the state went to contractors, and 42.9% went to the payroll of federal Department of Defense employees and military personnel.
Annual defense spending in West Virginia is equivalent to approximately 1.0% of the state’s GDP and approximately $496 for each state resident.
All data for this story comes from the Defense Spending by State report for fiscal year 2021, published by the Department of Defense. States are ranked by total Department of Defense spending on contracts and payroll in fiscal year 2021.
| Rank | State | Ministry of Defense spending in 2021 | DOD expenditures as a share of state GDP (%) | DOD expenditure per capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | 62.7(B$) | 10.2 | $7,259 |
| 2 | California | 57.4(B$) | 1.6 | $1,463 |
| 3 | Texas | 47.3(B$) | 2.2 | $1,601 |
| 4 | new York | 30.9(B$) | 1.6 | $1,557 |
| 5 | Florida | 30.1(B$) | 2.3 | $1,384 |
| 6 | Maryland | 26.3(B$) | 5.8 | $4,258 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 21.3(B$) | 3.2 | $3,057 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 19.3(B$) | 6.2 | $5,347 |
| 9 | Washington | 19.1(B$) | 2.7 | $2,470 |
| ten | Pennsylvania | 16.5(B$) | 1.9 | $1,272 |
| 11 | Alabama | 15.7(B$) | 6.1 | $3,123 |
| 12 | Georgia | 14.9(B$) | 2.1 | $1,378 |
| 13 | Arizona | 14.6(B$) | 3.4 | $2,013 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 13.8(B$) | 5.7 | $3,068 |
| 15 | Colorado | 12.4(B$) | 2.8 | $2,138 |
| 16 | Missouri | 12.2(B$) | 3.3 | $1,979 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 11.7(B$) | 1.7 | $1,113 |
| 18 | Ohio | 9.9(B$) | 1.3 | $844 |
| 19 | Illinois | 9.5(B$) | 1.0 | $749 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 9.3(B$) | 1.3 | $1,002 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 7.9(B$) | 8.3 | $5,465 |
| 22 | Indiana | 7.2(B$) | 1.6 | $1,059 |
| 23 | Michigan | 6.5(B$) | 1.1 | $649 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | 6.3(B$) | 2.9 | $1,582 |
| 25 | Utah | 6.3(B$) | 2.7 | $1,877 |
| 26 | Caroline from the south | 6.1(B$) | 2.2 | $1,179 |
| 27 | Mississippi | 5.6(B$) | 4.3 | $1,911 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | 5.1(B$) | 1.3 | $857 |
| 29 | Kansas | 3.7(B$) | 1.9 | $1,263 |
| 30 | Alaska | 3.6(B$) | 6.2 | $4,916 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 3.6(B$) | 1.3 | $768 |
| 32 | New Mexico | 3.3(B$) | 2.9 | $1,547 |
| 33 | Tennessee | 3.2(B$) | 0.7 | $462 |
| 34 | Maine | 3.2(B$) | 4.1 | $2,348 |
| 35 | Nevada | 3.1(B$) | 1.5 | $974 |
| 36 | Iowa | 2.6(B$) | 1.1 | $805 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | 2.3(B$) | 2.3 | $1,671 |
| 38 | Minnesota | 2.2(B$) | 0.5 | $387 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 1.9(B$) | 1.3 | $639 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 1.7(B$) | 2.4 | $1,533 |
| 41 | Nebraska | 1.7(B$) | 1.1 | $844 |
| 42 | Oregon | 1.4(B$) | 0.5 | $324 |
| 43 | Delaware | 950.4(M$) | 1.1 | $947 |
| 44 | North Dakota | 902.5(M$) | 1.4 | $1,165 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 885.2(M$) | 1.0 | $496 |
| 46 | Idaho | 676.4(M$) | 0.7 | $356 |
| 47 | Montana | 647.3(M$) | 1.0 | $586 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 643.3(M$) | 1.0 | $718 |
| 49 | Vermont | 545.7(M$) | 1.4 | $845 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 475.9(M$) | 1.1 | $822 |
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