Defund the police? Police budgets of major U.S. cities
The debate over "Defund the police"
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.
50. Nashville, Tennessee
In Nashville, the city spent $311 per resident on the police force in 2020.
The city's police budget totaled $216.8 million.
49. San Antonio, Texas
In 2020, the City of San Antonio budgeted $313 per resident on its police force.
The total police budget was $479.1 million.
48. Des Moines, Iowa
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.
47. Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte spent $327 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The total budget for police was $285.9 million.
46. Omaha, Nebraska
In 2020, Omaha spent $340 per resident on policing.
The total police department budget was $159.8 million.
45. Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix budgeted $341 per resident on police work in 2020.
The police budget was more than $909.1 million — 41% of all city funds.
44. Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne spent $342 per resident on its police force.
The city's 2020 police budget was $14.5 million.
43. Burlington, Vermont
In 2020, Burlington budgeted $349 per resident on policing.
The city's total police budget was more than $17.9 million.
42. Portland, Oregon
Portland's police force cost $352 per resident in 2020.
The city's total police budget was $238.2 million.
41. Denver, Colorado
Denver spent $355 per resident on police in 2020.
The total police budget was $277.9 million — 17% of the city spending.
39 (TIE). Fresno, California
Fresno spent $367 per resident on the police department.
In 2020, $201.8 million — 40% of the city's total budget — went to policing.
39 (TIE). Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque also spent $367 per resident on police in 2020.
The total police department budget was $211.1 million.
38. San Diego, California
San Diego allocated $378 per citizen to its police force in 2020.
The department budget was $542.1 million.
36 (TIE) Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston spent $379 per resident on police department activities in 2020.
The total police department budget was more than $53.4 million.
36 (TIE). Dallas, Texas
Dallas also spent $379 per resident on its police force.
The total department budget for 2020 was $546 million.
35. Houston, Texas
In Houston, police cost $387 per resident in 2020.
The total department budget came in at just under $900 million for the year.
34. Mesa, Arizona
Mesa spent $389 per resident on police work in 2020.
The department's total budget was $198.2 million.
33. Columbus, Ohio
In 2020, Columbus allocated $398 per resident on its police department.
The city's total police budget was $347.8 million.
32. Little Rock, Arkansas
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.
31. Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City allocated $410 per resident to its police budget.
The department accounted for more than $82.2 million in 2020.
30. Atlanta, Georgia
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.
29. Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis' police department cost $419 per resident in 2020.
The city spent more than $274.5 on police work for the year.
28. Los Angeles, California
California's largest city spent $420 per resident on its police department.
The LAPD's budget for the year was $1.74 billion.
27. San Jose, California
San Jose spent $434 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $473.2 million.
26. Birmingham, Alabama
In Birmingham, policing cost $443 per resident in 2020.
The department budget for the year was $92.8 million.
25. Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Minneapolis police department cost $444 per resident in 2020.
The city's police budget was $193.4 million.
24. Anchorage, Alaska
In 2020, Anchorage spent $445 per resident on policing.
The total budget for the department was $133.8 million.
23. New Orleans, Louisiana
The Big Easy spent $449 per resident on police.
The city budgeted $206.9 million for the department for the year.
22. Tampa, Florida
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.
21. Austin, Texas
In 2020, Austin's police department cost $451 per resident.
The city spent $491.3 million on the force that year.
20. St. Louis, Missouri
The city of St. Louis allocated $454 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The total department budget was $154.9 million.
19. Detroit, Michigan
In 2020, Detroit spent $460 per resident on police work.
The total department budget for the year was $318.2 million.
18. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia spent $468 per resident on its police department in 2020.
The city allocated $956.6 million to police for the year.
17. Providence, Rhode Island
Providence spent $478 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $85.6 million for the year.
16. Charleston, West Virginia
In the capital of West Virginia, police cost $482 per resident in 2020.
The total department budget was $22.5 million for the year.
15. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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.
14. Kansas City, Missouri
In 2020, Kansas City allocated $510 per resident on police work.
The department budget was more than $262.2 million.
13. Long Beach, California
In Long Beach, police cost $522 per resident.
The city spent $265.5 million on the department in 2020.
12. Jacksonville, Florida
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.
11. Seattle, Washington
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.
10. Miami, Florida
In 2020, Miami's police force cost $564 per resident.
The total department budget for the year was $281.3 million.
9. Boston, Massachusetts
In Boston, police cost $595 per resident.
The city's 2020 police budget was $431.7 million.
8. San Francisco, California
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.
7. Chicago, Illinois
In Chicago, police cost $611 per resident in 2020.
The department budget — accounting for 37% of city spending — was $1.8 billion.
6. New York City
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.
5. Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport police cost $706 per resident in 2020.
The department budget was $102.3 million.
4. Newark, New Jersey
In 2020, Newark spent $737 per resident on police.
The total department budget was $208 million.
3. Washington, D.C.
D.C. spent $744 per resident on its police force in 2020.
The city allocated $655.4 million to the department.
2. Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington spent $825 per resident on policing in 2020.
The total department budget was $59.8 million.
1. Baltimore, Maryland
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.