California ranked 2nd worst on taxpayers’ return on investment

The Center Square

California finished 49th in a new study by the WalletHub website on whether residents of the 50 states are getting the most bang for the buck for their tax dollars.

The analysis, which noted that the taxpayer return on investment (ROI) is not uniform across the country, assigned each state a rank for total taxes paid per capita and an overall government services rank. From that information, WalletHub ranked each state on how efficient it was in spending state taxpayer revenue.

California was ranked 45th on taxes paid per capita and 37th on the quality of its government services. The government services rank was based on efficiency of public services provided in the areas of health, education, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution, according to WalletHub.

Though federal income taxes are consistent nationwide, some states receive more federal funds than others, and COVID-19 financial relief varies sharply among the states, the study concluded.

Tax Dollar Return on Investment, State by State

‘Taxpayer ROI’ Rank (1=Best)	State	‘Total Taxes Paid per Capita’ Rank	‘Overall Government Services’ Rank
1	New Hampshire	2	9
2	Florida	1	30
3	South Dakota	6	21
4	Virginia	23	3
5	Missouri	3	38
6	Ohio	12	26
7	Texas	7	35
8	Georgia	9	34
9	Nebraska	24	12
10	Tennessee	4	41
11	Colorado	15	27
12	Kentucky	18	23
13	Iowa	32	8
14	Wisconsin	33	6
15	Indiana	22	18
16	Idaho	19	25
17	Utah	36	7
18	South Carolina	5	46
19	Maine	30	13
20	North Carolina	17	32
21	Montana	20	28
22	Rhode Island	31	16
23	Michigan	21	31
24	Alabama	8	45
25	Illinois	29	22
26	Pennsylvania	27	24
27	Arizona	13	43
28	Wyoming	38	14
29	Maryland	40	10
30	Oklahoma	14	42
31	Washington	39	20
32	Kansas	35	29
33	Minnesota	47	1
34	Alaska	10	48
35	Oregon	28	36
36	Massachusetts	42	11
37	West Virginia	25	39
38	New Jersey	41	15
39	Mississippi	16	47
40	Connecticut	46	5
41	Vermont	48	2
42	Louisiana	11	50
43	Arkansas	34	40
44	New York	43	19
45	Nevada	26	44
46	Delaware	44	17
47	North Dakota	50	4
48	New Mexico	37	49
49	California	45	37
50	Hawaii	49	33