In 2022, North Dakota ranked fourth least government transfer-dependent state in the U.S., receiving 14.1% of its total income from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
In total, residents in North Dakota received $7.72 billion, equivalent to $9,913 per capita.
For comparison, the average across all states in the U.S. was $75.42 billion in total, or $11,542 per capita.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in North Dakota at the time, Social Security transfers made up $2.62 billion, a 33.9% share of the total. Medicare transfers accounted for $1.82 billion (23.6%), while Medicaid contributed $1.59 billion (20.5%). Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $599.7 million, or 7.8% of the total.
With 16.6% of the population aged 65 and older, North Dakota has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total income excluding government transfers in North Dakota was $60,447 per capita, below the state’s total income of $70,360 per capita, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, North Dakota saw a decrease in its government transfer dependency by 3%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In North Dakota, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.4% (or $1,876 per capita) in 1970 to 14.1% (or $9,913 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| State | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1 | 28.9% | 21.1% | 33.7% | 23.9% | 19.8% | 10.9% | $14,450 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 26.5% | 19.3% | 27.7% | 18.2% | 29% | 15.7% | $13,842 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 25.8% | 17.2% | 33.6% | 26.1% | 16.8% | 12.1% | $11,984 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 24.8% | 17.4% | 30.9% | 23.2% | 26.3% | 10.1% | $12,890 |
| Louisiana | 5 | 23.9% | 16.8% | 27.2% | 23.7% | 26.7% | 12.8% | $13,019 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 23.7% | 17.7% | 32.7% | 23.5% | 23.5% | 9.6% | $12,493 |
| Alabama | 7 | 23.4% | 17.9% | 35% | 25.7% | 12.5% | 12.4% | $11,924 |
| Maine | 8 | 22.7% | 22.4% | 33.6% | 23.7% | 20.5% | 11.9% | $13,779 |
| South Carolina | 9 | 22.4% | 18.9% | 36.6% | 25.8% | 12.3% | 11% | $12,028 |
| Delaware | 10 | 21.9% | 20.6% | 33.8% | 23.3% | 23.3% | 9.2% | $13,866 |
| Arizona | 11 | 20.7% | 18.9% | 31.6% | 22.1% | 24.4% | 8.9% | $12,093 |
| Michigan | 12 | 20.7% | 18.6% | 37.4% | 25.7% | 18.1% | 10.7% | $11,834 |
| Oklahoma | 13 | 20.7% | 16.3% | 32% | 24.3% | 17.2% | 12.4% | $11,654 |
| Alaska | 14 | 20.6% | 13.9% | 19.4% | 13.4% | 24% | 11.1% | $14,153 |
| Ohio | 15 | 20.2% | 18.3% | 32.5% | 25.9% | 22.4% | 10.8% | $11,680 |
| Oregon | 16 | 20.1% | 19.1% | 32.7% | 21.4% | 26.1% | 9.8% | $12,514 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 20.1% | 19.5% | 33.4% | 24.5% | 25.4% | 9.3% | $12,986 |
| Vermont | 18 | 20% | 21.4% | 36.8% | 20.8% | 24.1% | 8.7% | $12,623 |
| Indiana | 19 | 19.8% | 16.8% | 34.3% | 24.3% | 22.1% | 10.9% | $11,545 |
| Missouri | 20 | 19.8% | 17.9% | 34.7% | 26% | 20% | 8.6% | $11,453 |
| North Carolina | 21 | 19.8% | 17.2% | 33.9% | 24.3% | 15.7% | 11.7% | $11,491 |
| Rhode Island | 22 | 19.6% | 18.8% | 32.7% | 23% | 24.4% | 10.2% | $12,447 |
| Tennessee | 23 | 19.2% | 17.1% | 35.3% | 25.7% | 15.6% | 11.5% | $11,209 |
| Florida | 24 | 18.9% | 21.4% | 34.1% | 28.9% | 12.4% | 9.4% | $12,269 |
| Montana | 25 | 18.3% | 20% | 36.2% | 22.6% | 19.3% | 7% | $11,163 |
| Hawaii | 26 | 18.2% | 18.1% | 33.8% | 21.5% | 19.7% | 13.6% | $11,236 |
| Wisconsin | 27 | 18.1% | 18.6% | 38.2% | 24.8% | 18% | 9.5% | $11,137 |
| Idaho | 28 | 18% | 16.9% | 35.9% | 22.7% | 17.5% | 11.5% | $10,187 |
| Iowa | 29 | 17.9% | 18.1% | 37% | 24.7% | 20.3% | 8.4% | $10,773 |
| New York | 30 | 17.9% | 18% | 26.8% | 22.2% | 32.1% | 12.8% | $13,463 |
| Georgia | 31 | 17.6% | 15% | 32.6% | 24.7% | 13.3% | 14.5% | $9,964 |
| Kansas | 32 | 16.7% | 17% | 37.7% | 25.9% | 15.9% | 9.1% | $10,119 |
| Minnesota | 33 | 16.5% | 17.3% | 33.1% | 21.9% | 26.4% | 9.7% | $11,379 |
| Nevada | 34 | 16.5% | 17% | 32.8% | 26% | 15.5% | 12.3% | $10,264 |
| Illinois | 35 | 16% | 17% | 32.1% | 24.4% | 20.1% | 14.9% | $10,848 |
| Nebraska | 36 | 16% | 16.8% | 34.1% | 25% | 17.6% | 8.3% | $10,262 |
| South Dakota | 37 | 15.7% | 18% | 35.8% | 24.5% | 13.4% | 12.4% | $10,713 |
| Virginia | 38 | 15.7% | 17% | 33.3% | 21.6% | 20.8% | 10% | $10,811 |
| California | 39 | 15.5% | 15.7% | 24.6% | 22.5% | 26.7% | 14.6% | $11,927 |
| Texas | 40 | 15.5% | 13.4% | 28.5% | 24.3% | 19.9% | 13.3% | $9,720 |
| Maryland | 41 | 15.3% | 16.7% | 31.7% | 24.5% | 23.5% | 10.7% | $10,724 |
| New Hampshire | 42 | 15.1% | 20% | 42.2% | 25.3% | 16.4% | 5.6% | $11,127 |
| Massachusetts | 43 | 14.9% | 18% | 28.7% | 24% | 25.1% | 15.4% | $12,629 |
| Wyoming | 44 | 14.8% | 18.6% | 37.6% | 23.5% | 11.5% | 6.5% | $10,831 |
| New Jersey | 45 | 14.4% | 17.3% | 33.6% | 25.1% | 21.3% | 10.3% | $11,114 |
| Connecticut | 46 | 14.3% | 18.6% | 34% | 25.4% | 24% | 9% | $11,828 |
| Washington | 47 | 14.2% | 16.7% | 33.8% | 20.8% | 21.4% | 9.8% | $10,697 |
| North Dakota | 48 | 14.1% | 16.6% | 33.9% | 23.6% | 20.5% | 7.8% | $9,913 |
| District of Columbia | 49 | 13.8% | 13% | 17.1% | 16.5% | 44% | 15.8% | $13,278 |
| Colorado | 50 | 13.2% | 15.6% | 30.8% | 21.4% | 21.3% | 13.3% | $10,012 |
| Utah | 51 | 12.7% | 11.9% | 33.7% | 21.9% | 17.4% | 11.6% | $7,551 |
