Washington ? New York and California received the biggest shares of the first $3 billion in federal funding for homeland security, but the government’s distribution formulas also made winners of Wyoming, Alaska and Vermont, an AP analysis shows.

Big states mentioned as possible terrorist targets are leading the money chase. New York has received the most, about $321 million. California ranks second with $304 million, followed by Texas at $183 million.

But 12 states bested New York on a per capita basis, the AP tally showed. The $17.7 million sent to Wyoming worked out to nearly $36 per person, the most of any state. New York, by comparison, got nearly $17 per person, California $9.

Less populated states have done well, per capita, because the federal government has divided significant portions of the money into equal pieces for distribution to all states.

The per capita rankings rankle lawmakers from urban areas, who say the government should be less interested in keeping all states happy and more focused on targeting money to cities and states most at risk of terror attack.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said this week that 70 percent of homeland security grants had been distributed “under a formula that is entirely unrelated to where the terror threat is.” She said the number could rise to 83 percent next year under legislation being considered in Congress.

The AP analysis showed that small states lead the pack on a per capita basis. After Wyoming came Alaska ($35.66 per person, based on 2000 Census) and Vermont ($29.77 per person).

American Samoa, a U.S. territory 2,300 miles south of Hawaii, got $5.4 million in homeland security funds, or $94.40 for each of its 57,291 residents.