The pandemic and subsequent inflation have caused social benefits in United States to skyrocket. This is precisely what the White House confirmed, although we never expected what we have just learned. This is the state that invests the most in stimulus checks and its own subsidies, and we give you a figure: up to 200% more than the average for the whole country, imagine the amounts.
This is the welfare spending by states: do you live in one of them?
When looking at overall welfare spending by state, a few states stand out for having the highest expenditures. According to data analyzed across major welfare programs, the top 5 highest spending states are:
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California – With nearly 40 million residents, California spends more on welfare than any other state. Its total welfare expenditure exceeds $140 billion per year across programs including Medicaid and SNAP.
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New York – New York has the 2nd highest welfare spending at over $60 billion per year. The state is well known for providing generous benefits and has high enrollment across many programs.
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Texas – Coming in 3rd for welfare spending is Texas, which has over $50 billion in total annual expenditures. The Lone Star State has high participation in Medicaid and other programs.
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Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania spends around $40 billion on welfare each year. The state has expanded Medicaid and has above average spending on cash assistance programs.
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Florida – Rounding out the top 5 is Florida with annual welfare expenditures of nearly $40 billion. The state’s huge population drives up its spending on Medicaid and other benefits.
SNAP benefits by state, explained: billions invested on nutrition and assistance
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, provides crucial support for low-income individuals and families to purchase food. SNAP benefits are distributed on electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that can be used at authorized retail food stores.
SNAP benefits vary by state depending on the cost of living and average grocery prices. According to the USDA, the average monthly SNAP benefit per household ranged from $129 in Hawaii to $234 in New Mexico as of FY2021. The top 5 states for SNAP benefits were:
- New Mexico ($234).
- Oregon ($232).
- Kentucky ($231).
- Louisiana ($224).
- Washington DC ($218).
Some factors that contribute to higher SNAP benefits include higher food costs, higher poverty rates, and state policies that ease access to SNAP. Rural states in particular tend to have higher SNAP benefits since market costs for food can be elevated.
Welfare recipients by state: another key to understand social benefits in United States
The number of welfare recipients varies widely by state. According to data from the Census Bureau, the states with the highest percentage of residents receiving some form of welfare or public assistance as of 2024 are:
- New Mexico – 21.78% of residents on welfare.
- Louisiana – 19.04%.
- Mississippi – 17.86%.
- West Virginia – 17.62%.
- Alabama – 17.43%.
These 5 states have the highest welfare rates in the country by a significant margin. The next highest state is Maine, with only 15.28% of residents on welfare. Several factors contribute to the high welfare rates in these states, as we have seen in other articles.
They tend to have higher poverty rates, lower median household incomes, and weaker job markets compared to other states. Rural areas in these states also often lack job opportunities. The education levels are lower on average, making it difficult for residents to secure well-paying jobs.
As you have seen, social benefits in United States have marked a before and after, in contrast to the time when we had little more than Obamacare. The truth is that their distribution is somewhat unequal among the different states, but this has not caused a major problem in their access. Moreover, many of those investing billions are now being accused of mismanagement.