- The average federal tax refund in America is $2,895, but the figure varies by state.
- In Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, the average tax refund tops $3,000.
- Eight of the 10 states with the lowest average tax refund border Canada.
The size of your tax refund depends on where you live — here's how much the average person gets back in every state
Most Americans receive a tax refund, but the amount taxpayers get back varies widely across state lines.
You can now submit your tax return and wait for your refund.
Last year, the IRS sent $324 billion back to taxpayers. Nearly eight out of 10 received a tax refund worth an average of $2,895.
SmartAsset analyzed 2016 data from the IRS to find the average federal tax refund in each state and Washington, DC. To do so, it looked at the total income tax refund for each state and divided it by the number of refunds there.
Maine had the lowest average tax refund, with $2,302, while Texas had the highest, with an average of $3,133. Northern states were more likely to receive smaller tax refunds — eight of the 10 states with the lowest refunds share a border with Canada.
California, the most populous state in America, led the way with the most refunds and largest total amount in refunds but missed the top 10 in average refunds, coming in at No. 13. Wyoming, the least populous, had the fewest refunds, but residents had the 11th-highest average tax refund.
Getting a smaller tax refund may be a smart move, says Lauren Lyons Cole, a senior editor at Business Insider and a certified financial planner. She says that overpaying your tax bill by withholding too much from your paycheck is basically an interest-free loan to the government.
Scroll through to see how much the average person gets back in every state, ordered from the biggest federal tax refund to the smallest. We also included the total amount in tax refunds in each state and the number of federal tax refunds received.
Texas
Average refund: $3,133
Number of refunds: 10,148,743
Total income tax refunded: $31.8 billion
Oklahoma
Average refund: $3,088
Number of refunds: 1,321,650
Total income tax refunded: $4.1 billion
Louisiana
Average refund: $3,073
Number of refunds: 1,651,207
Total income tax refunded: $5.1 billion
New York
Average refund: $2,986
Number of refunds: 7,730,144
Total income tax refunded: $23.1 billion
Connecticut
Average refund: $2,958
Number of refunds: 1,398,308
Total income tax refunded: $4.1 billion
Mississippi
Average refund: $2,953
Number of refunds: 1,039,143
Total income tax refunded: $3.1 billion
New Jersey
Average refund: $2,943
Number of refunds: 3,485,373
Total income tax refunded: $10.3 billion
Washington, DC
Average refund: $2,904
Number of refunds: 274,708
Total income tax refunded: $798 million
North Dakota
Average refund: $2,896
Number of refunds: 282,369
Total income tax refunded: $818 million
Florida
Average refund: $2,877
Number of refunds: 7,794,195
Total income tax refunded: $22.4 billion
Wyoming
Average refund: $2,853
Number of refunds: 221,412
Total income tax refunded: $632 million
Illinois
Average refund: $2,815
Number of refunds: 5,023,513
Total income tax refunded: $14.1 billion
California
Average refund: $2,811
Number of refunds: 13,651,511
Total income tax refunded: $38.4 billion
Georgia
Average refund: $2,793
Number of refunds: 3,648,090
Total income tax refunded: $10.2 billion
Alabama
Average refund: $2,787
Number of refunds: 1,681,945
Total income tax refunded: $4.7 billion
Maryland
Average refund: $2,771
Number of refunds: 2,336,402
Total income tax refunded: $6.5 billion
Nevada
Average refund: $2,755
Number of refunds: 1,106,009
Total income tax refunded: $3 billion
Massachusetts
Average refund: $2,734
Number of refunds: 2,692,608
Total income tax refunded: $7.4 billion
Virginia
Average refund: $2,696
Number of refunds: 3,134,320
Total income tax refunded: $8.5 billion
Arkansas
Average refund: $2,692
Number of refunds: 1,000,615
Total income tax refunded: $2.7 billion
Tennessee
Average refund: $2,688
Number of refunds: 2,468,085
Total income tax refunded: $6.6 billion
Alaska
Average refund: $2,672
Number of refunds: 274,591
Total income tax refunded: $734 million
Utah
Average refund: $2,639
Number of refunds: 1,020,050
Total income tax refunded: $2.7 billion
Arizona
Average refund: $2,622
Number of refunds: 2,241,778
Total income tax refunded: $5.9 billion
Washington
Average refund: $2,621
Number of refunds: 2,713,988
Total income tax refunded: $7.1 billion
New Mexico
Average refund: $2,618
Number of refunds: 735,387
Total income tax refunded: $1.9 billion
Kansas
Average refund: $2,611
Number of refunds: 1,051,359
Total income tax refunded: $2.7 billion
Kentucky
Average refund: $2,601
Number of refunds: 1,598,645
Total income tax refunded: $4.2 billion
West Virginia
Average refund: $2,592
Number of refunds: 661,920
Total income tax refunded: $1.7 billion
Iowa
Average refund: $2,589
Number of refunds: 1,143,730
Total income tax refunded: $3 billion
Pennsylvania
Average refund: $2,588
Number of refunds: 5,060,627
Total income tax refunded: $13.1 billion
Hawaii
Average refund: $2,587
Number of refunds: 536,949
Total income tax refunded: $1.4 billion
North Carolina
Average refund: $2,581
Number of refunds: 3,568,635
Total income tax refunded: $9.2 billion
Indiana
Average refund: $2,569
Number of refunds: 2,588,399
Total income tax refunded: $6.6 billion
Colorado
Average refund: $2,565
Number of refunds: 1,996,453
Total income tax refunded: $5.1 billion
Missouri
Average refund: $2,555
Number of refunds: 2,234,913
Total income tax refunded: $5.7 billion
Rhode Island
Average refund: $2,554
Number of refunds: 436,944
Total income tax refunded: $1.1 billion
South Dakota
Average refund: $2,552
Number of refunds: 320,558
Total income tax refunded: $818 million
Delaware
Average refund: $2,543
Number of refunds: 364,398
Total income tax refunded: $927 million
Nebraska
Average refund: $2,534
Number of refunds: 710,216
Total income tax refunded: $1.8 billion
South Carolina
Average refund: $2,530
Number of refunds: 1,715,207
Total income tax refunded: $4.3 billion
New Hampshire
Average refund: $2,527
Number of refunds: 555,024
Total income tax refunded: $1.4 billion
Michigan
Average refund: $2,491
Number of refunds: 3,782,002
Total income tax refunded: $9.4 billion
Ohio
Average refund: $2,489
Number of refunds: 4,589,371
Total income tax refunded: $11.4 billion
Idaho
Average refund: $2,433
Number of refunds: 554,674
Total income tax refunded: $1.3 billion
Minnesota
Average refund: $2,432
Number of refunds: 2,087,536
Total income tax refunded: $5.1 billion
Montana
Average refund: $2,367
Number of refunds: 370,717
Total income tax refunded: $877 million
Wisconsin
Average refund: $2,353
Number of refunds: 2,228,127
Total income tax refunded: $5.2 billion
Vermont
Average refund: $2,348
Number of refunds: 254,524
Total income tax refunded: $598 million
Oregon
Average refund: $2,342
Number of refunds: 1,422,129
Total income tax refunded: $3.3 billion
Maine
Average refund: $2,302
Number of refunds: 510,897
Total income tax refunded: $1.2 billion
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