KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Federal tax refunds issued to individual filers totaled $354.39 billion across all 50 US states in the 2024 filing year, reaching 73.2% of taxpayers who filed a return.
- 16 of the 50 US states delivered average refunds above the national benchmark of $3,042.69, while 34 came in below it.
- Texas tops the ranking at $3,529.87 average federal tax refund per filer, 1.16x the national average.
Federal tax refunds have become one of the most anticipated financial events of the year for tens of millions of American households, and a new analysis clarifies that the size of those checks varies sharply from one state toTexas tops the ranking at $3,529.87 average federal tax refund per filer, 1.16x the national average.
the next. Some states consistently return average refunds well above the national figure, while others fall hundreds of dollars short.
According to an analysis by Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, individual tax refund figures for the 2024 filing year were pulled from IRS Statistics of Income Tables 3, 7, and 8, which report returns filed, refunds issued, and total refund dollars paid by state. Each state’s total refund dollars were normalized to an average refund per refund issued, and the 50 US states were ranked from the highest to the lowest average refund relative to a national benchmark of $3,042.69 per refund.
The 10 States With the Biggest Average Tax Refunds, 2024 Filing Year
| Rank | State | Avg. Refund Per Filer | Refund Rate | Total Returns Filed (2024) |
| 1 | Texas | $3,529.87 | 77.3% | 13,644,352 |
| 2 | Wyoming | $3,449.85 | 73.2% | 281,706 |
| 3 | Florida | $3,448.90 | 74.9% | 11,243,202 |
| 4 | Nevada | $3,387.04 | 75.6% | 1,556,340 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $3,343.42 | 77.0% | 1,945,064 |
| 6 | Georgia | $3,168.63 | 73.0% | 4,888,634 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $3,163.08 | 78.0% | 1,223,412 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $3,142.77 | 72.1% | 1,819,772 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $3,140.74 | 70.6% | 4,642,496 |
| 10 | New York | $3,124.88 | 72.1% | 9,792,613 |
| Texas tops the ranking because its $3,529.87 average refund is the highest in the country, 1.16x the $3,042.69 national benchmark. Florida and Nevada — two no-income-tax states — take ranks 3 and 4, and no-income-tax states occupy 4 of the top 5 slots (Texas, Wyoming, Florida, and Nevada). |
Looking at the study, Ramzy Ladah, Founder & CEO of Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, Las Vegas, commented.
“Behind every refund in this data is a household that overpaid taxes during the year and is now getting that money back. The biggest average checks tend to land in states without a broad state income tax. For many families, this is the largest single payment they will see all year. Spend it wisely.”
10 States Where the Highest Share of Filers Received a Refund, 2024 Filing Year
| Rank | State | Refund Rate | Avg. Refund Per Filer | Total Returns Filed (2024) |
| 1 | West Virginia | 78.4% | $2,729.74 | 774,459 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 78.0% | $3,163.08 | 1,223,412 |
| 3 | Texas | 77.3% | $3,529.87 | 13,644,352 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 77.0% | $3,343.42 | 1,945,064 |
| 5 | Indiana | 76.9% | $2,835.51 | 3,233,610 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 76.8% | $2,775.33 | 1,978,376 |
| 7 | Alaska | 76.0% | $2,927.62 | 342,151 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 75.7% | $2,986.09 | 3,242,083 |
| 9 | Nevada | 75.6% | $3,387.04 | 1,556,340 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 75.6% | $2,804.84 | 6,291,892 |
| West Virginia leads the country with a 78.4% refund rate, one of only two states where over 78% of filers received a refund. Every state in this top 10 sits above the 73.2% national refund rate, and the Southeast accounts for 5 of the 10 slots. |
States That Paid Out the Most in Total Refund Dollars, 2024 Filing Year
| Rank | State | Total Refund Dollars | Refunds Issued | Avg. Refund Per Filer |
| 1 | California | $41.26 billion | 13,411,343 | $3,076.29 |
| 2 | Texas | $37.23 billion | 10,547,092 | $3,529.87 |
| 3 | Florida | $29.04 billion | 8,420,258 | $3,448.90 |
| 4 | New York | $22.06 billion | 7,060,436 | $3,124.88 |
| 5 | Illinois | $13.90 billion | 4,519,306 | $3,075.77 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $13.34 billion | 4,754,516 | $2,804.84 |
| 7 | Ohio | $11.49 billion | 4,254,148 | $2,701.45 |
| 8 | Georgia | $11.30 billion | 3,566,880 | $3,168.63 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $10.30 billion | 3,279,867 | $3,140.74 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $10.20 billion | 3,567,311 | $2,858.51 |
| California logs the largest absolute refund volume at $41.26 billion, roughly $4 billion more than second-placed Texas, even though California’s $3,076.29 average refund ranks 12th nationwide on a per-filer basis. The 10 states on this list account for $200.12 billion, or 56.5% of the $354.39 billion paid nationally. |
10 States With the Smallest Average Tax Refunds, 2024 Filing Year
| Rank | State | Avg. Refund Per Filer | Refund Rate |
| 41 | New Mexico | $2,747.54 | 72.5% |
| 42 | West Virginia | $2,729.74 | 78.4% |
| 43 | Ohio | $2,701.45 | 75.0% |
| 44 | Rhode Island | $2,677.42 | 75.1% |
| 45 | Minnesota | $2,660.13 | 69.2% |
| 46 | Montana | $2,657.32 | 69.3% |
| 47 | Vermont | $2,588.92 | 72.1% |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $2,578.89 | 71.7% |
| 49 | Oregon | $2,546.11 | 69.0% |
| 50 | Maine | $2,444.83 | 72.7% |
| Maine closes out the ranking with a $2,444.83 average refund, the smallest among US states and $1,085.03 below top-ranked Texas, a gap of 44.4%. Every state on this list sits below $3,042.69 national benchmark, and the group is concentrated in the Upper Midwest, Mountain West, and Northeast. |
Methodology
The analysis draws on IRS Statistics of Income data for the 2024 filing year, specifically Table 3 (number of individual income tax returns filed by state), Table 7 (number of individual refunds issued by state), and Table 8 (dollar amount of individual refunds issued by state, in thousands). The universe covers all 50 US states. Each state’s refund dollars were normalized to an average refund per refund issued so states of different sizes could be compared directly, alongside a refund rate (refunds issued divided by returns filed) and total refund dollars paid. States were then ranked from the highest to the lowest average refund, with Rank 1 indicating the state with the biggest checks and Rank 50 the smallest. A national benchmark of $3,042.69 per refund serves as the comparison point throughout, and findings describe the 50 US states only, excluding the District of Columbia and US territories.
Data Sources
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- IRS Statistics of Income, Returns Filed, Taxes Collected, and Refunds Issued → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 3: Number of Individual Income Tax Returns Filed by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 7: Number of Individual Refunds Issued by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 8: Dollar Amount of Individual Refunds Issued by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- Research Dataset → https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i194PpCI0yo1bEaIhP0ONej9NMVgApelEnIjJiIR0MM/edit?gid=0#gid=0
- Study by → https://www.ladahlaw.com/
About Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas
The study was conducted by Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, an experienced personal injury law firm dedicated to protecting clients’ rights and maximizing claim value.
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