the slideshow display each states income level, poverty level, tax rate, and a synopsis on reason on why they do what they do.
10 :: Texas
Average pension benefits: $18,828 (25th highest)
Total per pupil spending: $8,540 (9th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,667 (10th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 36.0% (21st lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 30.3 (22nd lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $195 (6th lowest)
Texas provides among the lowest average amount in monthly cash assistance to families receiving TANF benefits. It has the tenth lowest amount in medicaid payments per beneficiary. It also spends the ninth lowest amount on education on a per pupil basis. Residents of the state have one of the lowest state and local tax burdens in the country, paying just 7.9% of their income. The state also has the fourth lowest cost of living in the nation.
9 :: Florida
Average pension benefits: $19,777 (19th highest)
Total per pupil spending: $8,760 (14th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,574 (6th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 29.5% (9th lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 21.8 (9th lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $233 (13th lowest)
Florida has one of the lowest per-beneficiary payout rates for Medicaid in the country. Conversely, it has one of the highest rates for Medicare, which aids those aged 65 years or older and is solely funded by the federal government. The state also provides relatively low unemployment benefits and TANF benefits.
8 :: Indiana
Average pension benefits: $8,837 (the lowest) br/>
Total per pupil spending: $9,369 (17th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $5,136 (18th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 40.1% (13th highest)
No. of months of TANF received: 24.8 (13th lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $203 (8th lowest)
The greatest detriment to Indiana’s ranking is its pension system. The average benefits for a public servant enrolled in the Indiana Public Employees’ Retirement Fund is $8,837, the lowest amount in the country. Although Indiana, unlike many states, strives to make its full pension payments each year, it keeps payments small. According to the New York Times, “An employee earning $30,000 a year retires after 25 years with an annual pension of less than $10,000.” The state also provides a relatively low amount in average monthly cash assistance for TANF beneficiaries. The cost of living in Indiana is, however, relatively low.
7 :: South Carolina
Average pension benefits: $17,467 (19th lowest)br/>
Total per pupil spending: $9,277 (16th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,658 (8th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 33.5% (16th lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 32.4 (20th highest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $172 (4th lowest)
South Carolina scores worse than average in every metric of generosity we looked at. The worst of these were Medicaid and cash assistance to the poor. South Carolina paid out just $4,658 per beneficiary last year for Medicaid, the eighth lowest amount in the U.S. Needy families received just $172 on average from TANF, the fourth lowest dollar amount in the country.
6 :: Arizona
Average pension benefits: $19,056 (23rd highest) br/>
Total per pupil spending: $7,813 (3rd lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,701 (14th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 26.2% (the lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 35.4 (18th highest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $270 (18th lowest)
Arizona’s state and local tax burden is significantly lower than the national average. It also spends less than the national average in a number of areas. When it comes to education, the state spends the third lowest amount per pupil in the country. On top of this, the Arizona Senate recently cut $200 million from K-12 education. The state also covers the smallest amount of weekly wages for the unemployed. Additionally, the average weekly unemployment benefit is
$213, the fourth lowest amount in the country.
5 :: Alabama
Average pension benefits: $19,098 (22nd highest)
Total per pupil spending:$8,870 (15th lowest))
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $3,931 (2nd lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 27.7% (6th lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 30.8 (25th lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $197 (7th lowest)
In Alabama, the average Medicaid beneficiary receives just $3,931 each year. This is the second lowest amount in the country. In contrast, New York pays more than double that, or $9,057 per patient. Acccording to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the relative cost of health care in the state also happens to be the lowest in the country, lessening the need for public assistance in this area. The state also provides just $197 for the average needy family through TANF, the seventh-lowest payout in the U.S.
4 :: Oklahoma
Average pension benefits: $19,098 (22nd highest)
Total per pupil spending: $7,885 (4th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,666 (9th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 39.2% (21st highest)
No. of months of TANF received: 27.4 (18th lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $189 (5th lowest)
Oklahoma spends the fourth smallest amount on education per pupil. It also pays the third least amount in employee benefits for those in the education system and the second least amount in teachers’ salaries to the number of students in the state. In addition to this, Oklahoma pays the fifth lowest amount in average monthly cash payments for TANF recipients and the ninth lowest amount in medicaid benefits for those enrolled in the program. Perhaps not surprising, the state has the second lowest cost of living in the country.
3 :: Idaho
Average pension benefits: $16,088 (15th lowest)
Total per pupil spending: $7,092 (2nd lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $5,685 (25th highest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 39.3% (20th highest)
No. of months of TANF received: 8 (the lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $302 (22nd lowest)
The state of Idaho spends just over $7,000 per pupil in a given year. This is the second lowest rank in the country. Idaho provides below average cash assistance through TANF, and recipients only average eight months of eligibility, by far the shortest period in the U.S. As measured by the Census Bureau’s GINI coefficient, Idaho has the eighth best income equality in the country.
2 :: Tennessee
Average pension benefits: $13,145 (6th lowest)
Total per pupil spending: $7,897 (5th lowest)
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,687 (12th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 28.9% (7th lowest)
No. of months of TANF received: 38 (13th highest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $167 (3rd lowest)
Tennessee has the eleventh lowest per capita income in the country and state residents pay just $1,851 in taxes — the second lowest amount in the U.S. in state and local taxes. This means the state has one of the lowest tax burdens in the country. The state spends relatively little on education, unemployment benefits, TANF welfare benefits, and pension benefits. But Tennessee also has the lowest cost of living in the country.
1 :: Arkansas
Average pension benefits: $12,009 (5th lowest)
Total per pupil spending: $8,712 (11th lowest))
Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,413 (4th lowest)
Pct. of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 41.1% (11th highest)
No. of months of TANF received: 11.2 (2nd lowest)
Avg. TANF cash assistance per month: $147 (the lowest))
Arkansas has the second lowest median household income in the country, at just $38,571. Despite this, the state is one of the least generous, especially when it comes to assistance for the poor. The state gives just $147 per TANF recipient, the lowest in the country. And the average poor family receiving cash assistance is only eligible for 11.2 months, the second shortest period in the U.S.