KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Colorado ranks 7th in the nation for per capita political ad spending on Meta, with $69,706 spent per 100,000 residents.
- Colorado ranks 12th in total raw ad spending at $4,231,005, making it one of only two states with populations over 6 million to appear in the per capita top 10.
- Colorado’s per capita rate is 1.23 times the Western regional average of $56,526 and 1.36 times the average of states in its population bracket of 4 million to 7 million residents.
In 2026, political advertisers across the United States have spent more than $174.3 million on Facebook and Instagram ads categorized under social issues, elections, or politics. While that spending spans all 50 states, Colorado has emerged as the seventh-most intensely targeted state on a per-capita basis.
According to an analysis by Intuitive Digital, total spending on ads about social issues, elections, or politics was collected from the Meta Ad Library for all 50 U.S. states, then divided by each state’s 2026 population estimate from World Population Review to calculate ad spend per 100,000 residents, the primary ranking metric used throughout this report.
Colorado ranks 7th among all 50 states in per capita political ad spending on Meta, one of only two states over 6 million in the top 10
|
Rank |
State |
Population |
Total Ad Spend |
Spend per 100K Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Maine |
1,415,740 |
$1,828,609 |
$129,163 |
|
2 |
Alaska |
747,379 |
$810,718 |
$108,475 |
|
3 |
Virginia |
8,964,220 |
$7,329,184 |
$81,760 |
|
4 |
Iowa |
3,287,640 |
$2,674,170 |
$81,340 |
|
5 |
South Dakota |
937,397 |
$670,174 |
$71,493 |
|
6 |
Wyoming |
592,720 |
$423,051 |
$71,375 |
|
7 |
Colorado |
6,069,800 |
$4,231,005 |
$69,706 |
|
8 |
Delaware |
1,082,900 |
$722,310 |
$66,701 |
|
9 |
New Hampshire |
1,422,700 |
$910,071 |
$63,968 |
|
10 |
West Virginia |
1,768,950 |
$1,120,002 |
$63,315 |
Colorado’s per capita rate of $69,706 per 100,000 residents is $1,669 behind Wyoming and $3,004 ahead of Delaware. With a population of 6,069,800, Colorado is one of only two states in the top 10 with more than 4 million residents, alongside Virginia.
Looking at the study, Nick Footer, CEO of Intuitive Digital®, commented,
“The data makes clear that smaller states consistently attract higher per capita political ad spending on Meta platforms. This pattern suggests that advertisers on Facebook and Instagram may be allocating budgets in ways that prioritize reach density in less populated markets, where each ad dollar can connect with a larger share of the electorate relative to the total population.”
Colorado ranks 3rd among all 13 Western states in per capita Meta political ad spending
|
Per Capita Rank |
State |
Population |
Total Ad Spend |
Spend per 100K Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2nd |
Alaska |
747,379 |
$810,718 |
$108,475 |
|
6th |
Wyoming |
592,720 |
$423,051 |
$71,375 |
|
7th |
Colorado |
6,069,800 |
$4,231,005 |
$69,706 |
|
12th |
New Mexico |
2,148,440 |
$1,300,854 |
$60,549 |
|
15th |
Montana |
1,149,100 |
$671,614 |
$58,447 |
|
27th |
California |
39,896,400 |
$19,412,314 |
$48,657 |
|
42nd |
Nevada |
3,373,680 |
$1,438,004 |
$42,624 |
Among the 13 Western states, Colorado’s per capita rate of $69,706 trails Alaska ($108,475) and Wyoming ($71,375). California leads the region in raw spending at $19,412,314, but ranks 27th nationally per capita, 20 spots behind Colorado.
Among states with populations between 4 million and 7 million, Colorado’s per capita rate leads the group
|
Rank |
State |
Population |
Total Ad Spend |
Spend per 100K Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
Colorado |
6,069,800 |
$4,231,005 |
$69,706 |
|
11 |
Maryland |
6,355,540 |
$3,891,156 |
$61,225 |
|
14 |
Wisconsin |
6,022,120 |
$3,625,981 |
$60,211 |
|
19 |
Louisiana |
4,617,080 |
$2,468,599 |
$53,467 |
|
22 |
South Carolina |
5,660,830 |
$2,842,793 |
$50,219 |
|
34 |
Oklahoma |
4,158,420 |
$1,875,396 |
$45,099 |
|
46 |
Kentucky |
4,663,930 |
$1,785,633 |
$38,286 |
Eleven states share a population bracket of 4 million to 7 million residents with Colorado. The average per capita spend across this group is $51,253 per 100,000 residents. Colorado’s rate of $69,706 is 1.36 times the group average and 1.82 times that of Kentucky, the lowest in the bracket at $38,286.
Colorado’s per capita rate exceeds all seven of its bordering states
|
State |
Population |
Total Ad Spend |
Spend per 100K Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Colorado |
6,069,800 |
$4,231,005 |
$69,706 |
|
Wyoming |
592,720 |
$423,051 |
$71,375 |
|
New Mexico |
2,148,440 |
$1,300,854 |
$60,549 |
|
Kansas |
3,008,820 |
$1,620,274 |
$53,851 |
|
Nebraska |
2,040,670 |
$1,062,032 |
$52,043 |
|
Arizona |
7,801,100 |
$3,675,957 |
$47,121 |
|
National Average |
345,988,469 |
$174,296,148 |
$50,376 |
Among Colorado’s seven bordering states, only Wyoming outpaces it in per capita political ad spend at $71,375. New Mexico, the next nearest, trails Colorado by $9,157 per 100,000 residents. Utah, at $43,278, spends roughly 62% of Colorado’s per capita rate.
Methodology
The study analyzed political ad spending data across Meta’s platforms (Facebook and Instagram) for all 50 U.S. states in 2026. Total spending on ads about social issues, elections, or politics was sourced from the Meta Ad Library, a publicly accessible, real-time database that has tracked all such ads on Meta platforms since April 2019. State-level population estimates for 2026 were obtained from World Population Review. The per capita metric was calculated by dividing each state’s total political ad spend by its population and multiplying by 100,000 to produce a spend-per-100,000-residents figure. States were then ranked from highest to lowest by this per capita metric. All spending figures were independently verified through CSV report downloads from the Meta Ad Library.
Data sources
- Meta Ad Library:https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/report/
- World Population Review:https://worldpopulationreview.com/states
- Research Dataset:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1znvBQhzVBPpLYDGNXs8bK2SdN3ZQWEJ22HzEuf4BVU4/edit?gid=319931564#gid=319931564
- Study By:https://intuitivedigital.com
About Intuitive Digital
Intuitive Digital® is a Portland, Oregon-based digital marketing agency specializing in purpose-driven organizations, including nonprofits, B Corps, and mission-aligned businesses. to examine how political ad spending on Meta platforms is distributed across the United States.
Learn more at https://intuitivedigital.com/
