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.
No. 9: Vermont
Vermont residents pay a high rate of state and local taxes.
No. 8: Connecticut
Like Vermont, Connecticut residents pay a high rate of taxes.
No. 7: Arkansas
Arkansas residents come out towards the bottom for both taxes paid and services they receive.
No. 6: California
Californians pay some of the highest taxes and receive only mediocre services, particularly for roads and bridges.
No. 5: Delaware
High taxes and mediocre services earned Delaware a low ranking.
No. 4: New York
New Yorkers have the worst water quality and the fourth worst hospitals.
No. 3: Hawaii
Hawaii tied with New York for the worst water quality and has the second worst roads and bridges.
No. 2: Alaska
Alaska has the highest violent crime rate and is second worst for hospital systems.
No. 1: North Dakota
North Dakota earned the bottom spot by having the highest state and local tax rates. To read the entire study, click here.