Dollar for dollar, which states give taxpayers the best bang for their buck?
WalletHub, a research organization that analyzes public policy and financial issues, set out to answer that question by comparing the amount of state and local taxes residents of each state pay and the quality of services they receive in return in its "2016 States with the Best and Worst Taxpayer ROI."
WalletHub looked at education, health, safety, the economy, infrastructure and pollution with each category divided into a number of subcategories from everything from the quality of schools, hospitals and roads to crime rates, unemployment rates and air quality. According to Wallet Hub’s rankings, red states fair a little better than blue states.
Following are the 10 states in reverse order, with the worst listed last, where residents get the least return on their tax investment and an example of why each received such a low rating.
No. 10: New Mexico
New Mexico has the second highest percentage of residents in poverty and the fourth highest violent crime rate.