How much is spent per Medicaid enrollee in the US?
Updated monthly
In fiscal year (FY) 2023, $9,109 per enrollee. That's 1% lower than in FY 2022. Adjusted for inflation, Medicaid spending per enrollee is at its lowest level since 1994. Spending primarily covers benefits, but administrative costs are also included.
$9.11K
spending per Medicaid enrollee (FY 2023)
-1%
change in spending per Medicaid enrollee (FY 2022 to FY 2023)
FY 2023 per enrollee spending reflects $894.2 billion in total costs spread across 98.2 million enrollees, according to data compiled by Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a nonpartisan agency advising Congress. At $9,109 per enrollee, that marks a 15.8% decrease (adjusted for inflation) from the program's high in FY 1999, when per-person spending reached $10,821.
In FY 2023, Medicaid spending was at $9,109 per enrollee.
Total inflation-adjusted Medicaid spending per enrollee, by fiscal year
Among health insurance types in calendar year 2023, Medicaid has the second-highest per enrollee cost, about 39.9% lower than Medicare and 29.7% higher than all employee-sponsored private insurance plans combined.
In 2023, Medicaid had the second-highest cost per enrollee among insurance types.
Cost per enrollee by insurance type
Nationwide, Medicaid costs are driven by two categories of enrollees: people with disabilities and people who are 65 or older. Per-enrollee Medicaid spending on these two groups are higher than for other adults and children because they are likelier to require long-term services and supports.
Medicaid enrollment
In FY 2024, about 1 in 4 people living in the US were enrolled in Medicaid.
In FY 2022, the two groups account for 19.7% of all enrollees, but 51% of all costs. For comparison, children make up 35.8% of enrollees, but 15.4% of all costs.
Among Medicaid enrollment categories, people with disabilities accounted for 30.3% of all costs in FY 2022.
Total spending and enrollment share by category of enrollee
People with disabilities had the highest per enrollee cost in FY 2022 at $25,483 per enrollee. Seniors had the next highest at $19,191 per enrollee.
In FY 2022, Medicaid spending per enrollee ranged from $3,786 for children to $25,483 for people with disabilities.
Cost per enrollee by eligibility group
Per enrollee benefit spending varies by state, due to a combination of demographic differences and variation in eligibility and coverage rules. In FY 2022, North Dakota had cost of $13,001 per enrollee, the highest among states. South Carolina had the lowest at $5,199 per enrollee.
In FY 2022, North Dakota had the highest per enrollee spending on Medicaid while South Carolina had the lowest.
Cost of benefits per enrollee by state
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
