As the U.S. grapples with how best to allocate funding to maximize public safety, some cities are taking a hard look at police department budgets.
In 2020, "Defund the police" became a rallying cry for some protesters in the wake of George Floyd's murder and other incidents of police violence against Black people. This movement proposes reallocating funding from police departments to other agencies.
The Vera Institute of Justice, a national advocacy group that works to build a more fair and equitable justice system, collected city budget data for the 50 largest cities across the country (and the largest city in each state), and compiled the data on one place.
We took a look at which cities spent the most money, per resident, on policing. These were the top 50.
In Nashville, the city spent $311 per resident on the police force in 2020.
The city's police budget totaled $216.8 million.
In 2020, the City of San Antonio budgeted $313 per resident on its police force.
The total police budget was $479.1 million.
Des Moines budgeted $323 per resident on policing in 2020.
The city's police department budget was more than $71.5 million — 39% of the city's total spending.
Charlotte spent $327 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The total budget for police was $285.9 million.
In 2020, Omaha spent $340 per resident on policing.
The total police department budget was $159.8 million.
Phoenix budgeted $341 per resident on police work in 2020.
The police budget was more than $909.1 million — 41% of all city funds.
Cheyenne spent $342 per resident on its police force.
The city's 2020 police budget was $14.5 million.
In 2020, Burlington budgeted $349 per resident on policing.
The city's total police budget was more than $17.9 million.
Portland's police force cost $352 per resident in 2020.
The city's total police budget was $238.2 million.
Denver spent $355 per resident on police in 2020.
The total police budget was $277.9 million — 17% of the city spending.
Fresno spent $367 per resident on the police department.
In 2020, $201.8 million — 40% of the city's total budget — went to policing.
Albuquerque also spent $367 per resident on police in 2020.
The total police department budget was $211.1 million.
San Diego allocated $378 per citizen to its police force in 2020.
The department budget was $542.1 million.
Charleston spent $379 per resident on police department activities in 2020.
The total police department budget was more than $53.4 million.
Dallas also spent $379 per resident on its police force.
The total department budget for 2020 was $546 million.
In Houston, police cost $387 per resident in 2020.
The total department budget came in at just under $900 million for the year.
Mesa spent $389 per resident on police work in 2020.
The department's total budget was $198.2 million.
In 2020, Columbus allocated $398 per resident on its police department.
The city's total police budget was $347.8 million.
Arkansas' state capital spent $405 per resident on its police department in 2020.
The total department budget was $80.2 million — 38% of city funds for the year.
Salt Lake City allocated $410 per resident to its police budget.
The department accounted for more than $82.2 million in 2020.
Atlanta's largest city spent $412 per resident on police work in 2020.
The total department budget was more than $248.5 million for the year.
Memphis' police department cost $419 per resident in 2020.
The city spent more than $274.5 on police work for the year.
California's largest city spent $420 per resident on its police department.
The LAPD's budget for the year was $1.74 billion.
San Jose spent $434 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $473.2 million.
In Birmingham, policing cost $443 per resident in 2020.
The department budget for the year was $92.8 million.
The Minneapolis police department cost $444 per resident in 2020.
The city's police budget was $193.4 million.
In 2020, Anchorage spent $445 per resident on policing.
The total budget for the department was $133.8 million.
The Big Easy spent $449 per resident on police.
The city budgeted $206.9 million for the department for the year.
Tampa spent $450 per resident on its police force.
In 2020, the police department budget for the city was $177 million — 41% of total city spending.
In 2020, Austin's police department cost $451 per resident.
The city spent $491.3 million on the force that year.
The city of St. Louis allocated $454 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The total department budget was $154.9 million.
In 2020, Detroit spent $460 per resident on police work.
The total department budget for the year was $318.2 million.
Philadelphia spent $468 per resident on its police department in 2020.
The city allocated $956.6 million to police for the year.
Providence spent $478 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $85.6 million for the year.
In the capital of West Virginia, police cost $482 per resident in 2020.
The total department budget was $22.5 million for the year.
Milwaukee spent $502 per resident on its police force.
The $321.5 million police budget accounts for 58% of the city's total spending for the year. That's the largest percentage of any city's budget on this list.
In 2020, Kansas City allocated $510 per resident on police work.
The department budget was more than $262.2 million.
In Long Beach, police cost $522 per resident.
The city spent $265.5 million on the department in 2020.
Jacksonville spent $533 per resident on its police department in 2020.
The city's total budget for police was $481.6 million for the year.
The City of Seattle spent $546 per resident on police in 2020.
The department's budget was $440.2 million — 12% of the city's total spending for the year.
In 2020, Miami's police force cost $564 per resident.
The total department budget for the year was $281.3 million.
In Boston, police cost $595 per resident.
The city's 2020 police budget was $431.7 million.
San Francisco spent $604 per resident on its police force.
The 2020 department budget was $706.2 million — 9% of the city's total spending.
In Chicago, police cost $611 per resident in 2020.
The department budget — accounting for 37% of city spending — was $1.8 billion.
The NYPD cost the city $626 per resident in 2020.
The department's budget was the largest in the country, at more than $11 billion.
Bridgeport police cost $706 per resident in 2020.
The department budget was $102.3 million.
In 2020, Newark spent $737 per resident on police.
The total department budget was $208 million.
D.C. spent $744 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The city allocated $655.4 million to the department.
Wilmington spent $825 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $59.8 million.
Baltimore has the highest per-capita price tag, spending $840 per resident on its city police department in 2020.
The total department budget for the year was more than $549 million.