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While we all cringe at the thought of having to file taxes each year, there’s nothing like getting a nice big refund check in return. According to the IRS, the average tax refund as of March 1, 2019, has been $3,068. Various studies have been conducted which have shown that, in the past, residents of some states have enjoyed higher refunds than others. Find out how your state ranks with the results of one such study below.
How the study was conducted
The data you’re about to see comes from a study by SmartAsset, who used some simple math to see which states have collected higher average tax returns in the past. First, they collected data for the 2017 fiscal year, as supplied by the IRS.
They then looked at the total amount of money issued for tax returns in each state and divided it by the number of refunds issued in that particular state. From that point, it was all a matter of ranking the average return per state from highest to lowest.
Results
States with the highest tax refunds:
1) Connecticut: $3,844
2) New York: $3,791
3) Wyoming: $3,785
4) Massachusetts: $3,478
5) California: $3,439
6) Texas: $3,436
7) New Jersey: $3,408
8) District of Columbia: $3,372
9) Louisiana: $3,367
10) Florida: $3,334
States with the lowest tax refunds:
1) Maine: $2,460
2) Vermont: $2,569
3) Montana: $2,597
4) Oregon: $2,605
5) Wisconsin: $2,622
6) Idaho: $2,626
7) Ohio: $2,688
8) Minnesota: $2,710
9) Iowa: $2,720
10) South Carolina: $2,758
What it means for you
Where your state falls along the average refund bracket doesn’t actually have to matter at all when it comes to increasing or decreasing your annual refund. Keep in mind that a tax refund is simply an interest-free loan you give the government each year. If you discover that your average refund is higher or lower than the norm, simply talk to a tax advisor to adjust your withholdings to get more back at refund time or have less taken out of your paycheck.