Federal balance briefing

Follow every federal dollar leaving Washington—and the states that depend on it.

39 states and all 5 U.S. territories receive more than they contribute—averaging $2.48 back for every dollar sent. Just 11 states subsidize everyone else.

Who Takes the Most Federal Money—and Who Pays for It

Balance of payments shows which states receive more federal money than they send (net recipients) and which states subsidize the system (net contributors). Red dots extending left show states receiving federal dollars. Green dots extending right show states funding the gap.

Top ten net recipients and top ten net contributors in 2022. Recipients extend left (red), contributors extend right (green). Each dot shows the net federal dollars after subtracting what the state sent to Washington.

Why the Imbalance?

Some states send far more tax dollars to Washington than they get back. Others receive much more than they pay. Here's why.

Federal Money Per Person: Who Gets What

Total dollars tell one story, but per capita spending reveals another. Small states like Alaska receive over $12,000 per resident from Washington, while populous states like New Jersey get less than $4,000 per person—despite paying far more in total taxes.

Federal expenditures per resident. Small states dominate because federal spending (military bases, infrastructure) doesn't scale linearly with population.

Winners and Losers Per Person

Looking at the net balance per capita shows which residents benefit most—and which pay the most—from federal redistribution.

Net federal balance per resident. Positive means the state receives more than it pays (per person). Negative means residents are subsidizing other states.

States Most Reliant on Federal Revenue

Some states depend heavily on federal money to keep running. New Mexico, West Virginia, and Alaska top the list—Washington sends them nearly as much as they collect in their own taxes.

Federal money as a share of each state's total budget. When it's above 40%, Washington is covering nearly half of what that state spends.

What Drives Dependency?

Geography, demographics, and politics all play a role in how much states depend on federal dollars.

Reliance Is Highest Outside the Mainland

U.S. territories sit at the top because large portions of their economies are federal. Toggle the filter to focus on the 50-state picture.

For every dollar a state sends to Washington, how much comes back? Anything above 1.0 means they're getting more than they paid.

The Geography of Federal Money Flow

The South and Mountain West (shown in orange) pull in far more federal dollars than they send to Washington. Meanwhile, coastal states (shown in blue) end up subsidizing the rest of the country.

Net Contributors
Net Recipients
Pays more than receives Receives more than pays

The Geography of Federal Money

Federal spending doesn't flow evenly across the country—it follows clear regional patterns.

Where Local Taxes Shoulder the Load

Wealthy states with strong economies send way more tax money to Washington than they get back. They're essentially bankrolling the rest of the country.

How much do residents pay versus what they get back? A ratio of $6.00 means they send six dollars to Washington for every one dollar that comes back.

Every State's Federal Balance at a Glance

Every state, DC, and territory ranked by how much they give versus how much they get. Orange dots pointing left receive more than they pay. Blue dots pointing right pay more than they receive.

The full ranking—every state and territory. How far the dot extends from center shows how big the imbalance is.

Patterns & Paradoxes

Beyond the headline numbers lie unexpected patterns in how federal money flows through state economies.