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Both Wisconsin and Milwaukee County have received far less stimulus funding than the national average, according to a new database compiled by the non-profit news organization Pro Publica.

downtown milwaukee (photo by adrian palomo)

By the end of 2010, Wisconsin had received $7.4 billion in recovery dollars, about $1,301 per capita, and Milwaukee County had received $761 million, just $793 per capita. Nationally, the per capita average was $1,400.

Few urban counties in the Midwest did much better.

Cook County, Ill., home to Chicago, got about $932 per capita. Hennepin County, Minn., home to Minneapolis, enjoyed similar benefits, receiving $912 per capita. Wayne County, Mich., home to Detroit, one of the most depressed cities in the country, received very little stimulus funding, only $584 per capita.

Wisconsin ranked 36th in stimulus funding. The states that got the least were Florida ($1,068), Texas ($1,123), Nevada ($1,128) and Virginia ($1,175).

States with low population densities made off like bandits. Alaska received $3,441 per capita, more than any other state. It was followed by Vermont ($2,360), North Dakota ($2,226), South Dakota ($2,170) and Montana ($2,140). Although the biggest recipient of all, unsurprisingly, was the District of Columbia, which pulled down $8,754 per capita.

Wisconsin’s numbers are unlikely to rise much higher. The White House estimated earlier this year that less than 1 percent of the stimulus act remains unawarded.

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