California contributes the most to federal tax revenue but also receives the most federal funding (in total). California receives one of the lowest amounts of federal funding per capita ($5,155, ranking 42 of 50). California’s ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid is 0.43, which means that California received $0.43 in funding from the federal government for every $1 in tax revenue that it provided.
Overall, California is a donor state to the union.
In fact, of the 18 states which received more federal funding than they paid in federal taxes in 2021, 5 were Democrat-leaning while the other 13 were Republican (How Red or Blue is Your State?) - which is to say that welfare states are more likely to vote Republican. Four of the top 5 most Republican states take more than they give (Wyoming, North Dakota, Oklahoma and West Virginia), while 4 of the top 5 most Democratic states give more than they take (Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland, and California).
Are you “into conspiracy theories” if you’re the one starting them?