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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.

  • 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.

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.

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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

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Average refund: $3,133

Number of refunds: 10,148,743

Total income tax refunded: $31.8 billion

Oklahoma

Average refund: $3,088

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Number of refunds: 1,321,650

Total income tax refunded: $4.1 billion

Louisiana

Average refund: $3,073

Number of refunds: 1,651,207

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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

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Connecticut

Average refund: $2,958

Number of refunds: 1,398,308

Total income tax refunded: $4.1 billion

Mississippi

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Average refund: $2,953

Number of refunds: 1,039,143

Total income tax refunded: $3.1 billion

New Jersey

Average refund: $2,943

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Number of refunds: 3,485,373

Total income tax refunded: $10.3 billion

Washington, DC

Average refund: $2,904

Number of refunds: 274,708

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Total income tax refunded: $798 million

North Dakota

Average refund: $2,896

Number of refunds: 282,369

Total income tax refunded: $818 million

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Florida

Average refund: $2,877

Number of refunds: 7,794,195

Total income tax refunded: $22.4 billion

Wyoming

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Average refund: $2,853

Number of refunds: 221,412

Total income tax refunded: $632 million

Illinois

Average refund: $2,815

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Number of refunds: 5,023,513

Total income tax refunded: $14.1 billion

California

Average refund: $2,811

Number of refunds: 13,651,511

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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

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Alabama

Average refund: $2,787

Number of refunds: 1,681,945

Total income tax refunded: $4.7 billion

Maryland

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Average refund: $2,771

Number of refunds: 2,336,402

Total income tax refunded: $6.5 billion

Nevada

Average refund: $2,755

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Number of refunds: 1,106,009

Total income tax refunded: $3 billion

Massachusetts

Average refund: $2,734

Number of refunds: 2,692,608

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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

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Arkansas

Average refund: $2,692

Number of refunds: 1,000,615

Total income tax refunded: $2.7 billion

Tennessee

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Average refund: $2,688

Number of refunds: 2,468,085

Total income tax refunded: $6.6 billion

Alaska

Average refund: $2,672

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Number of refunds: 274,591

Total income tax refunded: $734 million

Utah

Average refund: $2,639

Number of refunds: 1,020,050

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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

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Washington

Average refund: $2,621

Number of refunds: 2,713,988

Total income tax refunded: $7.1 billion

New Mexico

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Average refund: $2,618

Number of refunds: 735,387

Total income tax refunded: $1.9 billion

Kansas

Average refund: $2,611

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Number of refunds: 1,051,359

Total income tax refunded: $2.7 billion

Kentucky

Average refund: $2,601

Number of refunds: 1,598,645

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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

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Iowa

Average refund: $2,589

Number of refunds: 1,143,730

Total income tax refunded: $3 billion

Pennsylvania

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Average refund: $2,588

Number of refunds: 5,060,627

Total income tax refunded: $13.1 billion

Hawaii

Average refund: $2,587

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Number of refunds: 536,949

Total income tax refunded: $1.4 billion

North Carolina

Average refund: $2,581

Number of refunds: 3,568,635

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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

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Colorado

Average refund: $2,565

Number of refunds: 1,996,453

Total income tax refunded: $5.1 billion

Missouri

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Average refund: $2,555

Number of refunds: 2,234,913

Total income tax refunded: $5.7 billion

Rhode Island

Average refund: $2,554

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Number of refunds: 436,944

Total income tax refunded: $1.1 billion

South Dakota

Average refund: $2,552

Number of refunds: 320,558

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Total income tax refunded: $818 million

Delaware

Average refund: $2,543

Number of refunds: 364,398

Total income tax refunded: $927 million

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Nebraska

Average refund: $2,534

Number of refunds: 710,216

Total income tax refunded: $1.8 billion

South Carolina

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Average refund: $2,530

Number of refunds: 1,715,207

Total income tax refunded: $4.3 billion

New Hampshire

Average refund: $2,527

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Number of refunds: 555,024

Total income tax refunded: $1.4 billion

Michigan

Average refund: $2,491

Number of refunds: 3,782,002

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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

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Idaho

Average refund: $2,433

Number of refunds: 554,674

Total income tax refunded: $1.3 billion

Minnesota

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Average refund: $2,432

Number of refunds: 2,087,536

Total income tax refunded: $5.1 billion

Montana

Average refund: $2,367

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Number of refunds: 370,717

Total income tax refunded: $877 million

Wisconsin

Average refund: $2,353

Number of refunds: 2,228,127

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Total income tax refunded: $5.2 billion

Vermont

Average refund: $2,348

Number of refunds: 254,524

Total income tax refunded: $598 million

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Oregon

Average refund: $2,342

Number of refunds: 1,422,129

Total income tax refunded: $3.3 billion

Maine

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Average refund: $2,302

Number of refunds: 510,897

Total income tax refunded: $1.2 billion

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