Minnesota has received roughly $2.7 billion in federal stimulus funding to date, and the state—at least on paper—has profited more than most.
According to the independent, nonprofit investigative journalism group Pro Publica, Minnesota has collected the 11th-most per capita in federal stimulus spending, reeling in $514.81 per resident.
The state has received the majority of its funding from three federal agencies. Minnesota has collected $916 million from the Department of Health and Human Services, $863 million from the Department of Education, and about $425 million from the Department of Transportation.
Statewide funding per capita totals $343—$127 more than the national average of $216 per capita. However, direct per capita funding specifically to Minnesota counties, which totals $171, lags behind the national average of $181 per capita.
Spending across the state has varied widely on a per capita basis.
Big Stone County in western Minnesota has received roughly $1,000 per resident in stimulus spending, nearly all of it devoted to $5.1 million in highway projects.
By contrast, Anoka County in the suburban Twin Cities has collected only $22 per resident, but that totals $7.2 million in funding.
Hennepin County has received $264.5 million in funding—the most of any county in the state—or $232 per capita. Ramsey County has received $74.7 million—the second most funding of any county in the state—or $149 per capita.
The majority of funds distributed within the Twin Cities area have been devoted to transportation, education, and housing.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed in February, will provide $793 billion nationwide in an effort to pull the economy out of recession. So far, $409 billion in federal funding has been allotted.
At the time of the bill’s signing, the White House estimated that it could create or save 66,000 jobs in Minnesota within the next two years.