diff --git a/docs/rest-api.yml b/docs/rest-api.yml
index bc1a1db7..4ea54864 100644
--- a/docs/rest-api.yml
+++ b/docs/rest-api.yml
@@ -652,6 +652,9 @@ definitions:
         type: string
         format: date-time
         description: UTC timestamp last-seen activity on this server.
+      state:
+        type: object
+        description: Arbitrary internal state from this server's spawner.  Only available on the hub's users list or get-user-by-name method, and only if a hub admin.  None otherwise.
   Group:
     type: object
     properties:
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
index b887d5b4..c307c1a1 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
             'message': message or status_message,
         }))
 
-    def server_model(self, spawner):
+    def server_model(self, spawner, include_state=False):
         """Get the JSON model for a Spawner"""
         return {
             'name': spawner.name,
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
             'started': isoformat(spawner.orm_spawner.started),
             'pending': spawner.pending,
             'ready': spawner.ready,
+            'state': spawner.get_state() if include_state else None,
             'url': url_path_join(spawner.user.url, spawner.name, '/'),
             'progress_url': spawner._progress_url,
         }
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
         model.update(extra)
         return model
 
-    def user_model(self, user, include_servers=False):
+    def user_model(self, user, include_servers=False, include_state=False):
         """Get the JSON model for a User object"""
         if isinstance(user, orm.User):
             user = self.users[user.id]
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
             # include 'active' servers, not just ready
             # (this includes pending events)
             if spawner.active:
-                servers[name] = self.server_model(spawner)
+                servers[name] = self.server_model(spawner, include_state=include_state)
         return model
 
     def group_model(self, group):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
index 32829231..c8c0146a 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class UserListAPIHandler(APIHandler):
     @admin_only
     def get(self):
         data = [
-            self.user_model(u, include_servers=True)
+            self.user_model(u, include_servers=True, include_state=True)
             for u in self.db.query(orm.User)
         ]
         self.write(json.dumps(data))
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ class UserAPIHandler(APIHandler):
     @admin_or_self
     async def get(self, name):
         user = self.find_user(name)
-        model = self.user_model(user, include_servers=True)
+        model = self.user_model(user, include_servers=True, include_state=self.get_current_user().admin)
         # auth state will only be shown if the requestor is an admin
         # this means users can't see their own auth state unless they
         # are admins, Hub admins often are also marked as admins so they
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
index 060db3d6..93258fa9 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ def normalize_user(user):
             for key in ('started', 'last_activity'):
                 server[key] = normalize_timestamp(server[key])
             server['progress_url'] = re.sub(r'.*/hub/api', 'PREFIX/hub/api', server['progress_url'])
+            if (isinstance(server['state'], dict)
+                and isinstance(server['state'].get('pid', None), int)):
+                server['state']['pid'] = 0
     return user
 
 def fill_user(model):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
index 04f07410..04ae83df 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ def test_default_server(app, named_servers):
                 'pending': None,
                 'ready': True,
                 'progress_url': 'PREFIX/hub/api/users/{}/server/progress'.format(username),
+                'state': {'pid': 0},
             },
         },
     })
@@ -102,6 +103,7 @@ def test_create_named_server(app, named_servers):
                 'ready': True,
                 'progress_url': 'PREFIX/hub/api/users/{}/servers/{}/progress'.format(
                     username, servername),
+                'state': {'pid': 0},
             }
             for name in [servername]
         },