The Economist:
SOME American states receive more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes; others receive less. Over twenty years these fiscal transfers can add up to a sizeable sum. From 1990 to 2009, the federal government spent $1.44 trillion in Virginia but collected less than $850 billion in taxes, a gap of over $590 billion. But relative to the size of its economy, Virginia derived a smaller benefit from America’s fiscal union than states like New Mexico, Mississippi and West Virginia, where the 20-year transfer exceeded 200% of their annual GDP.
Does any of this ring a
bell? Seriously, look at the chart. Look at Florida! Look at New York. Look at the bottom 10. Look at the top 10. Yes, it's not clean cut, but there is a pattern.