The federal government spends less per resident in Utah than in all but two other states, according to a Census Bureau report released Tuesday. Utah ranked behind only Minnesota and Nevada in total federal spending per person. The federal government spent $8,519 per person in Utah in 2010, or 19 percent lower than the national average of $10,460.
For different types of federal spending, Utah ranked dead last in retirement and disability payments per person at $2,180, compared with a national average of $2,935. Utah ranks low because it has the nation’s lowest median age, thanks to its many children and larger families, so a lower percentage of its population is retired. Utah also ranks 40th in federal grant money per person at $1,804, compared with the national average of $2,187. Salt Lake Tribune
