Since capital and bridge, maintenance, and administrative disbursements make up the majority of expenditures (74.6% in 2018), this report measures them individually and collectively. Total Disbursements include those three funding categories, plus three others: Highway Law Enforcement and Safety, Interest, and Bond Retirement.
In total, the 50 states disbursed about $151.8 billion for state-owned roads in 2018, a 9.2% increase from $139.0 billion in 2016, the last time this assessment was completed.
In the 25th Annual Highway Report, we measure average state disbursement per state highway agency (SHA), lane-mile, and vehicle-miles traveled per lane-mile. Last year, we measured the average state disbursements per lane-mile. In past years, we measured them in centerline-miles. The average 2018 per mile disbursement is $94,870 per lane-mile and $308,558 per SHA, up 33.4% (from $71,117 per lane-mile) and 80.4% (from $171,035 per SHA) from 2016. These increases are significantly higher than in previous years. Since 2007, these per-mile disbursements have increased by about 130%, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased by about 22%.
In 2018, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee reported the lowest expenditures.
New Jersey, Massachusetts, Alaska, Delaware, and Maryland reported the highest per-mile expenditures.
In terms of disbursements per lane-mile, the largest percentage shifts from 2016 to 2018 were Idaho and North Dakota (with increases of more than 70% and 45%, respectively) and Alabama and West Virginia (with decreases of more than 60%).
In terms of disbursements per SHA, the largest percentage shifts from 2016 to 2018 were Washington and Oregon (which increased by 146% and 89%, respectively) and North Dakota and Kentucky (which decreased by 45% and 22%, respectively).
Some of the disbursements per state-controlled mile can vary widely from year to year—reflecting funding actions and project schedules.
Total Disbursements Per State-Controlled Mile
| 2018 Rank | State | Z Score | Disbursement Per SHA | Disbursement Per Lane Mile | Disbursement Per VMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri | -2.1 | $60,571 | $26,257 | $26,759 |
| 2 | Mississippi | -1.98 | $92,741 | $35,574 | $24,867 |
| 3 | South Carolina | -1.98 | $46,293 | $21,076 | $33,656 |
| 4 | North Dakota | -1.93 | $47,253 | $20,115 | $35,445 |
| 5 | Tennessee | -1.87 | $128,677 | $46,421 | $22,026 |
| 6 | South Dakota | -1.7 | $53,966 | $18,968 | $43,044 |
| 7 | Kansas | -1.65 | $102,264 | $42,833 | $32,684 |
| 8 | Nebraska | -1.53 | $85,030 | $37,003 | $40,316 |
| 9 | Arkansas | -1.52 | $98,223 | $23,547 | $44,102 |
| 10 | Kentucky | -1.42 | $80,255 | $34,969 | $44,824 |
| 11 | Idaho | -1.42 | $159,626 | $17,765 | $44,907 |
| 12 | Wyoming | -1.35 | $76,041 | $30,261 | $49,137 |
| 13 | Montana | -1.35 | $62,315 | $19,694 | $54,086 |
| 14 | North Carolina | -1.31 | $74,738 | $34,122 | $49,368 |
| 15 | Michigan | -1.22 | $237,808 | $83,698 | $22,471 |
| 16 | New Mexico | -1.21 | $117,328 | $28,502 | $51,393 |
| 17 | Arizona | -1.17 | $284,460 | $59,205 | $29,175 |
| 18 | Alabama | -1.16 | $201,622 | $73,139 | $30,980 |
| 19 | Minnesota | -1.11 | $187,741 | $64,697 | $36,447 |
| 20 | Louisiana | -1.11 | $131,730 | $55,793 | $43,911 |
| 21 | Ohio | -1.07 | $201,063 | $73,628 | $33,809 |
| 22 | Georgia | -1.06 | $221,257 | $79,969 | $30,205 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | -1.01 | $148,948 | $67,162 | $42,200 |
| 24 | Maine | -0.98 | $97,150 | $44,766 | $54,870 |
| 25 | Iowa | -0.89 | $171,777 | $62,530 | $45,899 |
| 26 | Colorado | -0.88 | $219,751 | $79,052 | $36,795 |
| 27 | Indiana | -0.85 | $239,002 | $89,568 | $32,642 |
| 28 | Texas | -0.84 | $163,901 | $66,761 | $46,755 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | -0.78 | $215,185 | $84,970 | $38,353 |
| 30 | Nevada | -0.5 | $235,642 | $88,579 | $44,967 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | -0.29 | $213,242 | $78,437 | $57,491 |
| 32 | Virginia | -0.26 | $110,010 | $50,535 | $76,085 |
| 33 | Vermont | -0.16 | $179,239 | $78,520 | $64,122 |
| 34 | Oregon | -0.14 | $263,028 | $90,259 | $54,307 |
| 35 | Hawaii | -0.1 | $374,574 | $132,132 | $32,548 |
| 36 | Utah | 0.04 | $293,391 | $102,274 | $53,831 |
| 37 | Illinois | 0.43 | $357,791 | $128,373 | $52,697 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 0.72 | $67,120 | $32,259 | $118,757 |
| 39 | Washington | 1.06 | $583,723 | $101,175 | $65,994 |
| 40 | California | 1.07 | $681,141 | $185,549 | $29,470 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 1.11 | $438,564 | $154,558 | $60,290 |
| 42 | Connecticut | 1.36 | $495,676 | $171,664 | $58,343 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | 1.76 | $275,551 | $118,305 | $107,215 |
| 44 | New York | 2.18 | $565,644 | $203,876 | $69,058 |
| 45 | Florida | 2.66 | $884,395 | $239,203 | $48,259 |
| 46 | Maryland | 3.35 | $799,894 | $263,777 | $69,103 |
| 47 | Delaware | 3.87 | $313,457 | $140,970 | $167,214 |
| 48 | Alaska | 3.91 | $199,094 | $63,688 | $204,392 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 4.71 | $1,264,325 | $326,464 | $56,918 |
| 50 | New Jersey | 11.69 | $2,825,682 | $570,856 | $85,056 |
| Average | $308,558 | $94,870 | $53,945 |