# Federal Hand-Out States and Contributors **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 21, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560 "2022-06-21T14:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/1 "2022-06-21T14:23:55Z")
_Continuing the discussion from [Statehood for Puerto Rico?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statehood-for-puerto-rico/921465/120):_ I didn’t want to cause a hijack of the [Statehood for Puerto Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statehood-for-puerto-rico/921465) so decided to start this one. I was stating the North East is the primary supporter of the US Federal Budget. California being less important, especially per capita. California has recovered though from their low point in the late teens so they contribute more than I realized. No matter what, the majority of the big takers are South Eastern states and Red States in general. Virginia falls into a weird spot of not being much of a direct taker but benefitting from Federal Contracts more than any other state by far. Alaska is another big hand-out state, despite all the oil money. Really shameful. There are many ways to evaluate this so I’m trying to link to several. > **[Most & Least Federally Dependent States](https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700)** > > Most & Least Federally Dependent States They evaluate on most Federally dependent. Alaska (_surprise_) is the most dependent followed by Mississippi, Kentucky & West Virginia. Delaware is the least followed by New Jersey, Kansas (_surprise_) & Utah > **Chart of 50 states** > > | Rank | State | Total Score | State Residents’ Dependency | State Government’s Dependency | > | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | > | 1 | Alaska | 93.22 | 1 | 3 | > | 2 | Mississippi | 84.94 | 4 | 4 | > | 3 | Kentucky | 79.54 | 6 | 7 | > | 4 | West Virginia | 78.08 | 2 | 11 | > | 5 | Montana | 75.90 | 13 | 2 | > | 6 | New Mexico | 75.15 | 3 | 15 | > | 7 | Arizona | 69.92 | 12 | 6 | > | 8 | Louisiana | 69.50 | 21 | 1 | > | 9 | Indiana | 68.23 | 9 | 12 | > | 10 | Alabama | 66.92 | 10 | 10 | > | 11 | South Carolina | 62.94 | 7 | 25 | > | 12 | Wyoming | 60.36 | 25 | 5 | > | 13 | Maine | 57.50 | 11 | 19 | > | 14 | Tennessee | 52.74 | 26 | 8 | > | 15 | Missouri | 47.43 | 32 | 9 | > | 16 | Pennsylvania | 47.21 | 20 | 18 | > | 17 | Oklahoma | 46.45 | 15 | 32 | > | 18 | Vermont | 45.76 | 16 | 30 | > | 19 | South Dakota | 45.65 | 24 | 17 | > | 20 | Idaho | 44.48 | 22 | 22 | > | 21 | Maryland | 41.72 | 19 | 33 | > | 22 | Michigan | 41.45 | 28 | 21 | > | 23 | North Dakota | 41.32 | 5 | 49 | > | 24 | Arkansas | 40.20 | 41 | 14 | > | 25 | Oregon | 39.30 | 27 | 27 | > | 26 | Hawaii | 38.00 | 8 | 50 | > | 27 | New York | 37.72 | 45 | 13 | > | 28 | Georgia | 37.61 | 35 | 20 | > | 29 | North Carolina | 36.99 | 34 | 23 | > | 30 | Rhode Island | 36.52 | 33 | 24 | > | 31 | Connecticut | 35.91 | 18 | 39 | > | 32 | Wisconsin | 35.74 | 17 | 40 | > | 33 | Nevada | 35.37 | 29 | 31 | > | 34 | Florida | 35.00 | 30 | 29 | > | 35 | Ohio | 34.20 | 46 | 16 | > | 36 | New Hampshire | 33.91 | 39 | 26 | > | 37 | Texas | 33.69 | 38 | 28 | > | 38 | Minnesota | 28.99 | 23 | 43 | > | 39 | Virginia | 28.48 | 14 | 48 | > | 40 | Nebraska | 28.19 | 42 | 34 | > | 41 | California | 26.87 | 44 | 35 | > | 42 | Colorado | 26.34 | 40 | 36 | > | 43 | Massachusetts | 21.19 | 48 | 37 | > | 44 | Iowa | 20.96 | 31 | 45 | > | 45 | Illinois | 20.60 | 47 | 38 | > | 46 | Washington | 19.91 | 43 | 41 | > | 47 | Utah | 15.46 | 36 | 46 | > | 48 | Kansas | 13.50 | 37 | 47 | > | 49 | New Jersey | 13.16 | 49 | 44 | > | 50 | Delaware | 12.26 | 50 | 42 | Blue States are indeed carrying Red States. No surprise there I believe. * * * * * * _Next article just shows [Donor states vs. Takers as of 2022](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/donor-states). This is raw $._ _ **Tthe big donors** _ are NY, followed by NJ, Mass, California & Connecticut. - [New York](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/new-york-population) (-$22,798,000,000) - [New Jersey](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/new-jersey-population) (-$10,334,000,000) - [Massachusetts](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/massachusetts-population) (-$9,919,000,000) - [California](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/california-population) (-$6,653,000,000) - [Connecticut](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/connecticut-population) (-$5,754,000,000) _ **The big takers are:** _ - Virginia ($111,785,000,000) - Kentucky ($63,229,000,000) - [Florida](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/florida-population) ($50,999,000,000) - [Maryland](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/maryland-population) ($49,942,000,000) - [Ohio](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/ohio-population) ($42,004,000,000) - [Pennsylvania](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/pennsylvania-population) ($41,516,000,000) - [North Carolina](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/north-carolina-population) ($35,437,000,000) - [Alabama](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/alabama-population) ($33,033,000,000) - [Arizona](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/arizona-population) ($30,907,000,000) - [South Carolina](https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/south-carolina-population) ($28,209,000,000) * * * * * * As of 2020 [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2020-05-15/some-states-like-new-york-send-billions-more-to-federal-government-than-they-get-back](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2020-05-15/some-states-like-new-york-send-billions-more-to-federal-government-than-they-get-back) > The biggest givers in our latest report, based on 2018 data, were [New York](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york), which paid in US$22 billion more than it received; [New Jersey](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey), which paid $12 billion more; [Massachusetts](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/massachusetts), which paid $9 billion more; and [Connecticut](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/connecticut), which paid $8 billion more than it received. * * * * * * As of 2019 (Pre-Pandemic) > **[These States Are the Most Dependent on the Federal Government](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-02-12/these-states-depend-the-most-on-the-federal-government)** > > Southern states tend to be the most reliant on Washington. It is still mostly Red states depending on the Blue States. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/2 "2022-06-21T15:33:34Z")
I unfortunately can’t find the exact data Im looking for (total federal govt revenue broken up by state and tax bracket it came from) but the states where the top 1%/2%/5% happen to reside in is going to skew those numbers a ton. I happen to live in a net payer (Massachusetts) but I doubt the conparatively measley amount people like me pay is the reason. The people in the top tax brackets are relatively concentrated and as a result I’d expect any state where they don’t live to be a net recipient. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-10-31/where-the-1-live](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-10-31/where-the-1-live) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/3 "2022-06-21T15:42:42Z")
Keep in mind, not all Federal money is income tax, there is a fair amount from Corporate taxes also. Wall Street is a major reason for New York’s oversized contribution as one example. I don’t know the breakdown, but it isn’t just big individual earners supporting the Government. For California it is Tech, Corporate Agriculture & major ports sending money to the Federal Coffers. New Jersey is high income earners, Pharma, a very robust middle class and fair amount as a major ports. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/4 "2022-06-21T15:43:19Z")
The super-rich might be concentrated, but they’re mostly in the 0% tax bracket. The folks in the 30% bracket are probably much closer to uniform (though still probably not completely so). ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/5 "2022-06-21T15:51:12Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Blue States are indeed carrying Red States. No surprise there I believe. It is a surprise to red states. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/6 "2022-06-21T15:51:19Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong but if corporate income gets counted the way I think it does that would also skew things. If a corporation is headquartered in California but employs a lot of people and/or has a lot of customers in other states the entirety of the corporate tax would be considered to have come from California right? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/7 "2022-06-21T16:37:33Z")
I am reminded of an old text that was circulated in the early days of the internet. While dated, it still has some relevance (I do not know the original source for proper credit): > **Glurge Reprint** > > > Dear Red States: > > > > We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. > > > > In case you aren’t aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all of the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California. > > > > To sum up briefly: > > > > You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. > > > > We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. > > > > We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. > > > > We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. > > > > We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss. > > > > We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. > > > > We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share. > > > > Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. > > > > Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s Quagmire. > > > > With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country’s fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95 percent of America’s quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Stanford, Cal Tech, MIT, and University of California. > > > > With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. > > > > We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. > > > > Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties. > > > > By the way, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico. > > > > Peace out, ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/8 "2022-06-21T16:58:53Z")
I did not know there was a “glurge” thing on this board. Cool. TIL ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-hand-out-states-and-contributors/966560/9 "2022-06-21T17:28:20Z")
To the OP… > **[AP FACT CHECK: Blue high-tax states fund red low-tax states](https://apnews.com/article/north-america-business-local-taxes-ap-top-news-politics-2f83c72de1bd440d92cdbc0d3b6bc08c)** > > WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders have spent months promoting the myth that red low-tax states are subsidizing blue high-tax states because of the deduction for state and local taxes... > **[Blue states pay more than their fair share. Here are the receipts | Column](https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/01/22/blue-states-pay-more-than-their-fair-share-here-are-the-receipts-column/)** > > Conservatives might want to be careful when they talk about “owning” the libs. > **[TaxProf Blog: Red States Feed at Federal Trough, Blue States Supply the Feed](https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/09/red_states_feed.html)** > > Monday, September 27, 2004 The Tax Foundation has released a fascinating report showing which states benefit from federal tax and spending policies, and which states foot the bill. The report shows that of the 32 states (and the District of Columbia)... (that last one is kinda old but I don’t see that much has changed)