Residents of Low-Wage Red States Collect Biggest Stimulus Checks

WASHINGTON — Residents of lower-income states that voted for President Donald Trump got bigger stimulus checks in general than those in wealthier coastal enclaves that tend to back Democrats, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service.
The demographics of such red states as Utah, Idaho and South Dakota helped residents collect average stimulus payments topping $1,800. Relatively lower wages in these states mean more adults were likely to qualify for the full $1,200 payment, which starts to phase out at $75,000 in individual income. And the additional $500 per child bolstered the typical check size in Utah and Idaho, where the average family has more than two children.
The average payment going to taxpayers in states that voted for Trump in 2016 is $1,727 compared with $1,661 in states that backed Hillary Clinton.
Taxpayers in Mississippi and West Virginia are amassing the biggest influx of stimulus cash as percentage of their state’s economy.
As of May 8, the IRS issued about 128 million stimulus payments — worth about $217 billion — of the approximately 150 million it anticipates sending out. The agency is beginning to process a tranche of paper checks that are expected to reach mailboxes in late May or early June.
———
©2020 Bloomberg News
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
In The News
Health
Voting
In The News

AUSTIN, Texas – It was a dire situation that Lloyd Armbrust can almost laugh about now. A global pandemic had swept across the United States, a baby was on the way, and Armbrust, hard as he tried, could not find a supply of a critical element... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Wednesday by a margin of 220 in favor and 212 opposed. The bill was named after the Minneapolis man killed during an arrest in May 2020 that sparked protests nationwide. The... Read More

WASHINGTON - A Blue Dog Coalition-backed redistricting reform measure is among the key provisions of the H.R 1, For the People Act bill passed by the House Wednesday night. The language in the bill closely tracks what Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., included in his John Tanner... Read More

American Home Shield, the Memphis, Tenn.-based home warranty company, has created multi-dimentional renderings of the changes made to the Oval Office by each president since 1909. Posted to the company's website, the renderings of the president's work space are part of its 50th anniversary celebration this... Read More

WASHINGTON - For the first time in its history, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office will be led by a team composed entirely of women. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced Wednesday that retired Army Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson will be the new Senate sergeant-at-arms, taking over as... Read More

The widespread disruptions of COVID led to an unprecedented drop in global greenhouse emissions. However, many post-coronavirus investments are fossil fuel heavy, including those in the U.S., emphasizing the policy commitments that need to be made to capitalize on these emission reductions, said a report from... Read More