Washington state gets less federal money than it sends
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Washington is one of only 13 U.S. states that sends more money to federal government coffers than it receives, a recent analysis found.
Why it matters: As President Trump pushes for states to become more financially independent, Washington is already among the states that is the least reliant on the federal government.
By the numbers: Massachusetts (-$4,846), New Jersey (-$4,344) and Washington (-$3,494) had the lowest balance of federal spending per capita as of 2022, discounting COVID-19 relief dollars, according to a 2024 Rockefeller Institute of Government report.
- New Mexico ($14,781), Maryland ($12,265) and Virginia ($11,577) had the highest.
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.
Between the lines: "States with large defense-contracting sectors and more military bases receive more federal defense spending, while federal wages are disproportionately concentrated within states with a large federal employee presence," the report notes.
- That at least partially explains the results in states like Virginia and Maryland, which are both relatively high income but have lots of federal workers, contractors and agency offices thanks to their proximity to Washington, D.C.