You Won’t Believe Which State Tops the Nation in Debt Per Capita—#1 Reveals a Shocking Financial Truth!
Ever wondered how much you’d cough up if your state suddenly hit you up to settle its debts? Spoiler alert: It varies wildly depending on your zip code. Some states, especially those packed with people like California, Texas, and New York, are lugging around debts north of $100 billion. Sounds terrifying, right? But here’s the juicy bit—when you slice that mountain of money per person, it either looks like a manageable tab or a downright wallet-busting nightmare. So, are you calm or clutching your pearls yet? Let’s dive into the wild world of state debts and see which ones are asking the most from your piggy bank.
Just how much money would you owe your state to cover its debt? It depends on where you live.
Some states are carrying much more debt than others, especially ones with large populations. In fact, six states carry more than $100 billion in debt, including places like California, Texas, and New York, with a high number of residents. But when you break that debt down on a per-resident basis, the debt may seem more manageable, or more burdensome depending on the state.
Here’s how much debt you might owe if your state were going to ask you for some extra funds to cover their costs, according to Visual Capitalist, using data from the Reason Foundation.
The Top 10 List of Debt Per Capita
While Connecticut has less than $100 billion in debt, its small population would be burdened by extra costs if it were divided on a per-capita basis. The state’s $94.4 billion would come out to more than $26,000 per resident.
Second-place New Jersey is one of two states with more than $100 billion in debt, with $213.4 billion. You can compare that to neighboring New York, which carries a higher $233.3 billion in debt. But the state’s higher population means the per-capita debt is only $11,547—almost half of what a New Jersey resident would owe.
Fifth-place Illinois is also in the 12-digit-debt club with $222.8 billion in debt. That breaks down to $17,391 per resident, which is lower than much smaller states like Delaware and Hawaii when it’s distributed over its 12.7 million residents. By comparison, Delaware only has around 1 million residents while Hawaii has a population of 1.4 million.
| Rank | State | Government State Debt Per Capita (2023) | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $26,187 | $94.4B |
| 2 | New Jersey | $22,968 | $213.4B |
| 3 | Hawaii | $18,909 | $27.5B |
| 4 | Delaware | $17,535 | $17.4B |
| 5 | Illinois | $17,391 | $222.8B |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $17,082 | $120.1B |
| 7 | Wyoming | $15,433 | $8.9B |
| 8 | Alaska | $14,861 | $10.9B |
| 9 | North Dakota | $13,357 | $10.4B |
| 10 | California | $12,565 | $496.8B |
States With Lower Debt Per Capita
Tennessee has $13.5 billion in debt overall, or around $2,000 per resident, making it the state with the least amount of per-capita debt. Despite the low per-capita cost, it is the only state in the top five least debt-burdened states to have more than $10 billion in debt.
Second-place Utah has around $2,000 per person in debt, with only $6.6 billion overall. Third-place Nebraska carries around $5 billion in total debt for the state, or $2,503 per person.
Where Debt Burden Comes From
States face shortfalls due to a combination of issues that can end up costing them more money on their balance sheet than others.
One of the biggest driving factors is pensions. Government workers who receive a state pension are pulling from funds that may not have set aside enough cash over the years, causing debt issues now.
Illinois, for example, has one of the highest per-capita debt burdens because of its pension system. The state has $145 billion in debt on its balance sheet because of its pensions, making up around 65% of its overall debt. Second-place California has $90 billion in pension debt but an overall debt of $496.8 billion. That makes its pension obligations only 18% of its debt. Tennessee, however, has a low pension burden, which reduces its budget obligations to cover a pension fund.
Another factor adding to debt is how much a state relies on federal funds to cover its state costs, with some states using more federal funds than others to help with its budget.
The lowest-debt state of Tennessee, for example, relies on federal funds to cover 26.4% of its state budget, accounting for $21.5 billion in federal funds. On the other end of the scale, debt-burdened Connecticut covers 23.5% of its budget with state funds.
More State-By-State Data:
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