Super Tuesday: Federal Funding in Twelve States

Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas. Texans vote today in the 2016 presidential primary. Photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk.

It’s here: Super Tuesday. Voters in twelve states will choose which presidential candidates they want as the two major party nominees. The results will set the tone for the rest of the primaries. Here are three key facts about each of the ten states voting today.

Explore more about these states, or others, at State Smart.

Alabama

  • More than one in four children and nearly one in five adults live in poverty.
  • More than 36% of state revenues come from the federal government (higher than most states).
  • Alabama receives the fourth-highest federal aid to individuals (mostly Social Security and Medicare) of any state.

Alaska

  • Alaska has a unique racial makeup in the U.S.: more than one in five residents are of American Indian, Alaska Native or other heritage.
  • Residents of Alaska receive one of the lowest federal aid to individuals of any state, second only to Utah. But Alaska residents receive payments from a state source: the Alaska Permanent Fund.
  • Federal jobs provided more than 14% of the total pay and compensation earned by Alaska residents in 2014.

Arkansas

  • Arkansas' population is 73% white, 16% black and 7% Hispanic.
  • More than one in four children live in poverty.
  • Arkansas is ninth in the nation for how much average federal aid to individuals (Social Security, Medicare and others) its residents get.

Colorado

  • Colorado's population is 69% white, 21% Hispanic, and 4% black.
  • Residents of Colorado receive the fourth-lowest average federal aid to individuals (mostly Social Security and Medicare) of any state.
  • Contractors performed about $10 billion worth of federal contract work in Colorado in 2014, and about 40% of that was Department of Defense contracts.

Georgia

  • Georgia’s population is more than 30% black and 9% Hispanic.
  • More than one in four Georgia children live in poverty.
  • Georgia receives more than 37% of its state budget from federal funds, placing it above average.

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts’ population is more than 73% white, only 11% Hispanic and 7% black.
  • The state government received $8 billion in federal funds for public assistanc,e including Medicaid and welfare in 2013.
  • In 2014, Massachusetts contractors performed about $12.8 billion worth of federal contracts, and fully two-thirds of that was by defense contractors.

Minnesota

  • The population of Minnesota is more than 81% white, only 6% black and 5% Hispanic.
  • Underemployment in Minnesota is the seventh lowest in the nation, at only 8.7%.
  • The state government received $6.4 billion in federal funds in 2013 for public assistance (Medicaid, welfare and other programs).

Oklahoma

  • The population of Oklahoma is nearly 14% American Indian or other racial heritage, and 67% white.
  • Underemployment is sixth lowest in the nation at 8.6%.
  • Oklahoma has the eighth highest share of its total wages and compensation from federal jobs of any state, at 7%.

Tennessee

  • More than one in four Tennessee children live in poverty.
  • Tennessee has the tenth highest underemployment of any state, at 13%.
  • Almost 40% of the state budget comes from federal funds – one of the highest shares in the nation.

Texas

  • More than 38% of the Texas population is of Hispanic heritage.
  • The average federal aid to individuals (mainly Social Security and Medicare) is the fifth-lowest of any state.
  • In 2014, Texas contractors performed $30 billion worth of federal contracts, two thirds of which was from Department of Defense contracts.

Vermont

  • The population of Vermont is 93% white, only 3% American Indian or other, and less than 2% each black, Hispanic and Asian.
  • Underemployment is the eighth lowest of any state, at 8.8%.
  • Federal aid to individuals (mostly Social Security and Medicare) is higher than average for the rest of the U.S.

Virginia

  • Virginia’s population is 63% white, 19% black, and 9 percent Hispanic.
  • In 2014, Virginia contractors performed about $53 billion worth of work in federal contracts, one of the highest of any state. Fifty-nine percent of that was for Department of Defense contracts.
  • The share of total wages and compensations earned by Virginians that came from federal jobs was the fourth highest in the nation, at nearly 14%.

Wyoming

  • Wyoming's population is 84% white - second only to Vermont among Super Tuesday states.
  • Underemployment in Wyoming is the fourth lowest in the nation, at 7.5%.
  • Wyoming gets more than 35% of its state revenue from the federal government, higher than average.

If you live in a Super Tuesday state, leave your comments about what this election means to you below!