Southern and Southwestern states have the highest rates of public assistance usage among workers: Share of workers receiving public assistance directly or through a family member, by state
| State | Rate of receipt |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 30.7% |
| Alaska | 27.9% |
| Arizona | 32.7% |
| Arkansas | 34.6% |
| California | 34.3% |
| Colorado | 26.2% |
| Connecticut | 23.4% |
| Delaware | 29.8% |
| District of Columbia | 25.5% |
| Florida | 30.9% |
| Georgia | 31.2% |
| Hawaii | 31.4% |
| Idaho | 29.8% |
| Illinois | 28.3% |
| Indiana | 28.1% |
| Iowa | 25.0% |
| Kansas | 25.2% |
| Kentucky | 29.3% |
| Louisiana | 32.5% |
| Maine | 26.7% |
| Maryland | 23.0% |
| Massachusetts | 25.9% |
| Michigan | 28.1% |
| Minnesota | 23.2% |
| Mississippi | 36.2% |
| Missouri | 27.5% |
| Montana | 23.9% |
| Nebraska | 23.8% |
| Nevada | 30.4% |
| New Hampshire | 18.3% |
| New Jersey | 24.5% |
| New Mexico | 39.7% |
| New York | 31.0% |
| North Carolina | 29.7% |
| North Dakota | 19.0% |
| Ohio | 29.5% |
| Oklahoma | 30.9% |
| Oregon | 31.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 24.2% |
| Rhode Island | 26.6% |
| South Carolina | 31.4% |
| South Dakota | 25.5% |
| Tennessee | 29.7% |
| Texas | 31.7% |
| Utah | 29.9% |
| Vermont | 27.2% |
| Virginia | 22.8% |
| Washington | 29.2% |
| West Virginia | 32.0% |
| Wisconsin | 25.7% |
| Wyoming | 23.6% |
Note: Includes the EITC, CTC, SNAP, LIHEAP, WIC, housing assistance, TANF/cash assistance, and Medicaid. All shares reflect shares of working recipients. Because the data are adjusted to match administrative totals for each program, they must be weighted separately. Consequently, the implicit population totals from each rate of receipt will not be consistent across programs.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata, pooled years 2012–2014