Stimulating statistics
New York State released a breakdown this week of federal stimulus funding per county. (The state has gotten $18 billion in stimulus money.) The state breakdown (xls) also includes how much money has gone to education, Medicaid, infrastructure, etc.
We thought it would be interesting to see how the slices for each of the four core counties of Capital Region compare per capita and per square mile.
| County | Total | Per Person | Per Sq Mile |
| Albany | $303.1 million | $1,048 | $579,541 |
| Rensselaer | $103.3 million | $665 | $158,436 |
| Saratoga | $89.8 million | $414 | $110,988 |
| Schenectady | $150.9 million | $997 | $739,706 |
We got population and area numbers from the US Census Bureau (the populations were from 2008 estimates). Numbers have been rounded.
After the jump, all the New York counties (plus NYC) ranked by federal stimulus funding per capita. Saratoga County is close to the bottom.
By the way: the Post-Star reported this week that Saratoga Springs' city engineer said the Church Street reconstruction, which is funded by stimulus money, would have happened with or without the money -- and the stimulus funding may have actually held up the project.
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Comments
Saratoga County residents have one of the higher per capita incomes in the state. A chart of ratios of income/ stimulus funding would be interesting, to see how much money is going to people who need it more. Tricky to read a lot into such a thing though, when Manhattan and the Bronx, for example, are grouped together.
... said Sarah on Nov 6, 2009 at 5:48 PM | link
It would also be interesting to see what, beside the copious road construction, the stimulus funds accomplished, how many new jobs were created or existing/endangered jobs were sustained.
Sarah's "people who need it more" question is a good one, but important to remember that people didn't directly receive the stimulus funds as much as government agencies did. Changes the dynamic of need a bit.
... said Patti on Nov 7, 2009 at 8:23 AM | link