Kentucky ranked 20th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in per capita expenditures by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2003, according to census data released Thursday.

"I would think that would be appropriate, given our size and the number of potential targets we have in the state," said Joel Schrader, spokesman for Kentucky's homeland security office.

The federal Department of Homeland Security spent or earmarked $126.4 million in Kentucky for grants, contracts and salaries from Oct. 1, 2002, through Sept. 30, 2003, the Census Bureau reported.

That ranked the Kentucky 22nd nationally for total spending on homeland security.

Kentucky's per capita spending amounted to $30.70 per resident.

The release was the first time that the Census Bureau's annual Consolidated Federal Funds Report included homeland security expenditures.

The department was created on Jan. 24, 2003.

Of the Kentucky funding, $26.4 million went to salaries, $92.7 million for grants, and $7.3 million for various contracts.

Franklin County, home to the Kentucky capitol, ranked first in the state and seventh in the nation for per capita spending by homeland security. The $69.2 million spent in Franklin County placed per capita spending at $1,440.63 per resident. Pendleton County, with a total of $6,540 in homeland security funding, ranked last in the state in per capita spending with 43 cents per person.

Franklin County also ranked first in Kentucky in the amount of homeland security funding. Jefferson County was a distant second in the state with $14.6 million in spending.

Rounding out the top five Kentucky counties in total spending were Boone County with $12.4 million, Fayette County with $7.8 million and Kenton County with $3.8 million.

Green County received the least amount of homeland security funding in Kentucky with a total of $6,117. Garrard County received $7,232, Todd County $7,482 and Butler County $8,136.

Schrader said the likely reason for the gap in spending between urban and rural counties is simply that larger cities are considered more of a target for terrorists than small towns in agricultural areas.

Pendleton County was in the company of low-spending Garrard County with 46 cents, Green County with 52 cents, Grant County with 56 cents and Lincoln County with 60 cents.