Tennessee gets more federal money than it sends
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Tennessee is one of 37 U.S. states that get more money from federal government coffers than they send, a recent analysis found.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's push for states to be more financially independent brushes up against the reality that many depend on federal money for everything from disaster relief to food aid.
Driving the news: Tennessee received more than $14,730 per capita as of 2022, according to a Rockefeller Institute of Government report released last year. That total does not include COVID aid.
- But Tennessee only sent the federal government $11,510 per capita, leaving a $3,220 balance.
How it works: Each state's balance of payments reflect how much federal money is distributed there (in the form of programs like Medicaid and SNAP, for example) versus how much money residents and businesses send to the federal government (via income or employment taxes, for instance).
- A negative figure means a state sends more to the federal government than it receives, while a positive figure means it gets more than it gives.
Zoom out: Massachusetts (-$4,846) had the lowest balance of payments per capita as of 2022, discounting COVID-19 relief spending.
- New Mexico ($14,781) had the highest.
What we're watching: State leaders say they expect to see federal funding decrease in the upcoming budget cycle.