NEW JERSEY — New Jersey ranked as the least federally dependent state in the nation in a new 2026 report from personal finance website WalletHub.
With the tax filing deadline approaching and some states receiving significantly more in federal aid than they pay in taxes, WalletHub released its updated rankings of the most and least federally dependent states.
The report examines the level of economic independence among states. WalletHub evaluated all 50 states using three measures: return on federal taxes paid, federal funding as a percentage of state revenue and the share of federal jobs.
New Jersey ranked:
- 49th in return on taxes paid to the federal government
- 44th in federal funding as a share of state revenue
- 46th in share of federal jobs
The rankings place New Jersey as the least federally dependent state overall, according to the study.
