As more states get federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are starting to wonder just how much federal aid states are getting. The issue became especially apparent after AP News found that New York got less than $24,000 in federal aid for every positive case from the first $150 billion in federal aid. In comparison, Alaska got over $3.3 million per positive case.
The attention this decision got is only one of many examples of Americans putting a magnifying glass up to federal assistance programs. Despite this scrutiny, before the pandemic, the number of Americans who depended on government assistance actually was decreasing.
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Rankings by state
Nonetheless, media has still kept a spotlight on how equitably financial assistance is divvied up between the states. WalletHub recently released a survey to find out how large the gap is between the states with the most and least amount of federal aid dependency.
WalletHubt compared the states based on the states’ government dependency and its citizens’ government dependency for aid. You can find their full methodology here.
Below are the rankings from least to most dependent. Keep reading to find out how your state fared.
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Tiago_Fernandez / iStock
50. Kansas
- Total Score: 10.62
- State Residents’ Dependency: 39
- State Government’s Dependency: 49
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aimintang
49. New Jersey
- Total Score: 13.68
- State Residents’ Dependency: 49
- State Government’s Dependency: 42
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mdgmorris
48. Delaware
- Total Score: 15.66
- State Residents’ Dependency: 50
- State Government’s Dependency: 40
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Robby_SixtyTwo
47. Utah
- Total Score: 19.42
- State Residents’ Dependency: 36
- State Government’s Dependency: 44
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JoeChristensen
46. Iowa
- Total Score: 20.53
- State Residents’ Dependency: 31
- State Government’s Dependency: 45
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Rolf_52
45. Massachusetts
- Total Score: 20.99
- State Residents’ Dependency: 47
- State Government’s Dependency: 38
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4nadia
44. Washington
- Total Score: 21.97
- State Residents’ Dependency: 42
- State Government’s Dependency: 39
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venemama / iStock
43. Illinois
- Total Score: 24.01
- State Residents’ Dependency: 48
- State Government’s Dependency: 37
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DenisTangneyJr
42. Connecticut
- Total Score: 25.41
- State Residents’ Dependency: 19
- State Government’s Dependency: 46
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ABEMOS / iStock
41. Virginia
- Total Score: 25.59
- State Residents’ Dependency: 13
- State Government’s Dependency: 50
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JoeChristensen
40. Minnesota
- Total Score: 25.66
- State Residents’ Dependency: 25
- State Government’s Dependency: 41
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marekuliasz
39. Nebraska
- Total Score: 27.93
- State Residents’ Dependency: 43
- State Government’s Dependency: 32
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mlauffen
38. California
- Total Score: 27.93
- State Residents’ Dependency: 44
- State Government’s Dependency: 31
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Jacob Boomsma / iStock
37. Colorado
- Total Score: 28.5
- State Residents’ Dependency: 41
- State Government’s Dependency: 36
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DenisTangneyJr
36. New Hampshire
- Total Score: 32.03
- State Residents’ Dependency: 37
- State Government’s Dependency: 29
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earleliason
35. Texas
- Total Score: 32.05
- State Residents’ Dependency: 40
- State Government’s Dependency: 28
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Elisa.rolle
34. Florida
- Total Score: 32.24
- State Residents’ Dependency: 30
- State Government’s Dependency: 34
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Art Wager
33. Hawaii
- Total Score: 32.55
- State Residents’ Dependency: 9
- State Government’s Dependency: 48
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dypics
32. Ohio
- Total Score: 33.96
- State Residents’ Dependency: 45
- State Government’s Dependency: 16
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Byelikova_Oksana / iStock
31. Nevada
- Total Score: 35.23
- State Residents’ Dependency: 32
- State Government’s Dependency: 25
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” Darwin Brandis”
30. North Carolina
- Total Score: 35.36
- State Residents’ Dependency: 34
- State Government’s Dependency: 24
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danlogan
29. Rhode Island
- Total Score: 35.44
- State Residents’ Dependency: 35
- State Government’s Dependency: 22
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FierceAbin
28. Wisconsin
- Total Score: 35.92
- State Residents’ Dependency: 15
- State Government’s Dependency: 43
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haveseen
27. Michigan
- Total Score: 35.95
- State Residents’ Dependency: 28
- State Government’s Dependency: 27
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26. New York
- Total Score: 36.33
- State Residents’ Dependency: 46
- State Government’s Dependency: 14
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SeanPavonePhoto
25. Georgia
- Total Score: 37.31
- State Residents’ Dependency: 33
- State Government’s Dependency: 19
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HaizhanZheng
24. Oregon
- Total Score: 37.38
- State Residents’ Dependency: 26
- State Government’s Dependency: 26
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knowlesgallery
23. Idaho
- Total Score: 37.74
- State Residents’ Dependency: 21
- State Government’s Dependency: 33
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DepositPhotos.com
22. Oklahoma
- Total Score: 39.91
- State Residents’ Dependency: 20
- State Government’s Dependency: 30
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RiverNorthPhotography
21. South Dakota
- Total Score: 41.07
- State Residents’ Dependency: 23
- State Government’s Dependency: 21
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Rdlamkin
20. Arkansas
- Total Score: 41.56
- State Residents’ Dependency: 38
- State Government’s Dependency: 13
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James_Lane
19. Maryland
- Total Score: 41.88
- State Residents’ Dependency: 16
- State Government’s Dependency: 35
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sequential5
18. North Dakota
- Total Score: 44.17
- State Residents’ Dependency: 3
- State Government’s Dependency: 47
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DenisTangneyJr
17. Vermont
- Total Score: 45.13
- State Residents’ Dependency: 18
- State Government’s Dependency: 23
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DepositPhotos.com
16. Missouri
- Total Score: 47.52
- State Residents’ Dependency : 29
- State Government’s Dependency: 10
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AppalachianViews
15. Pennsylvania
- Total Score: 47.8
- State Residents’ Dependency: 17
- State Government’s Dependency: 20
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NathanMerrill
14. Tennessee
- Total Score: 52.81
- State Residents’ Dependency: 22
- State Government’s Dependency: 9
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DepositPhotos.com
13. Maine
- Total Score: 53.8
- State Residents’ Dependency: 12
- State Government’s Dependency: 18
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AnujSahaiPhotography
12. Wyoming
- Total Score: 58.14
- State Residents’ Dependency: 24
- State Government’s Dependency: 5
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Sean Pavone
11. Alabama
- Total Score: 59.36
- State Residents’ Dependency: 11
- State Government’s Dependency: 15
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DenisTangneyJr
10. Louisiana
- Total Score: 62.45
- State Residents’ Dependency: 27
- State Government’s Dependency: 1
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DepositPhotos.com
9. South Carolina
- Total Score: 67.36
- State Residents’ Dependency: 6
- State Government’s Dependency: 17
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f11photo
8. Indiana
- Total Score: 69.96
- State Residents’ Dependency: 8
- State Government’s Dependency: 11
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wanderluster
7. Arizona
- Total Score: 70.33
- State Residents’ Dependency: 10
- State Government’s Dependency: 7
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YinYang
6. Montana
- Total Score: 73.87
- State Residents’ Dependency: 14
- State Government’s Dependency: 2
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iStock
5. West Virginia
- Total Score: 75.36
- State Residents’ Dependency: 2
- State Government’s Dependency: 12
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Thomas Kelley
4. Kentucky
- Total Score: 80.78
- State Residents’ Dependency: 5
- State Government’s Dependency: 8
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DepositPhotos.com
3. Mississippi
- Total Score: 83.94
- State Residents’ Dependency: 7
- State Government’s Dependency: 3
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julof90
2. Alaska
- Total Score: 84.23
- State Residents’ Dependency: 4
- State Government’s Dependency: 4
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DepositPhotos.com
1. New Mexico
- Total Score: 86.57
- State Residents’ Dependency: 1
- State Government’s Dependency: 6
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