KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- New York ranks #10 of all 50 US states for average federal tax refund in the 2024 filing year at $3,124.88 per filer.
- 7,060,436 New Yorkers received a refund, totaling $22.06 billion returned to Empire State households, 6.23% of every refund dollar paid nationally and the 4th-largest total in the country.
- 72.1% of New York filers got money back, 1.1 percentage points below the 73.2% national refund rate.
Federal tax refunds have become one of the most expected financial events of the year for New York households, and a new analysis clarifies that the Empire State secures the final spot in the national top 10. While 34 US states came in below the national refund benchmark, New York sits at the #10 spot in the ranking, driven by a combination of large filer volume and an above-average check.
According to an analysis by Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, individual tax refund figures for the 2024 filing year were pulled from IRS Statistics of Income Tables 3, 7, and 8, which report returns filed, refunds issued, and total refund dollars paid by state. Each state’s total refund dollars were normalized to an average refund per refund issued, and the 50 US states were ranked from the highest to the lowest average refund relative to a national benchmark of $3,042.69 per refund.
The 10 States With the Biggest Average Tax Refunds, 2024 Filing Year
|
Rank |
State |
Avg. Refund Per Filer |
Refund Rate |
Total Returns Filed (2024) |
|
1 |
Texas |
$3,529.87 |
77.3% |
13,644,352 |
|
2 |
Wyoming |
$3,449.85 |
73.2% |
281,706 |
|
3 |
Florida |
$3,448.90 |
74.9% |
11,243,202 |
|
4 |
Nevada |
$3,387.04 |
75.6% |
1,556,340 |
|
5 |
Louisiana |
$3,343.42 |
77.0% |
1,945,064 |
|
6 |
Georgia |
$3,168.63 |
73.0% |
4,888,634 |
|
7 |
Mississippi |
$3,163.08 |
78.0% |
1,223,412 |
|
8 |
Connecticut |
$3,142.77 |
72.1% |
1,819,772 |
|
9 |
New Jersey |
$3,140.74 |
70.6% |
4,642,496 |
|
10 |
New York |
$3,124.88 |
72.1% |
9,792,613 |
|
New York holds the #10 spot with a $3,124.88 average refund, $404.99 behind top-ranked Texas but $82.19 above the $3,042.69 national benchmark. New York’s $22.06 billion in total refund dollars makes it the fourth-largest total refund pool in the country, behind only California, Texas, and Florida, despite its 10th-place ranking on a per-filer basis. |
Looking at the study, Ramzy Ladah, Founder & CEO of Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, Las Vegas, commented on the New York result.
“New York’s tenth-place finish is driven by scale. Behind every one of those 7.06 million Empire State refund checks is a family that effectively gave Washington an interest-free loan. The state’s average check sits modestly above the national figure, but the sheer number of filers means New York returned more than $22 billion in refunds statewide, fourth-most in the country. For many New York households, this refund is the single biggest payment they’ll see all year, and it deserves a plan.”
New York vs. Its Five Neighboring States, 2024 Filing Year
|
National Rank |
State |
Avg. Refund Per Filer |
Refund Rate |
Total Refund Dollars |
|
8 |
Connecticut |
$3,142.77 |
72.1% |
$4.12 billion |
|
9 |
New Jersey |
$3,140.74 |
70.6% |
$10.30 billion |
|
10 |
New York |
$3,124.88 |
72.1% |
$22.06 billion |
|
17 |
Massachusetts |
$3,034.16 |
73.3% |
$7.99 billion |
|
34 |
Pennsylvania |
$2,804.84 |
75.6% |
$13.34 billion |
|
47 |
Vermont |
$2,588.92 |
72.1% |
$0.62 billion |
|
New York sits third of six in its neighbor group on average check size, behind Connecticut by $17.89 per filer and New Jersey by $15.86, while beating Massachusetts by $90.72, Pennsylvania by $320.04, and Vermont by $535.96. New York’s $22.06 billion in total refund dollars, however, is the largest in the neighbor group by a wide margin, more than three times Massachusetts’ $7.99 billion and nearly double Pennsylvania’s $13.34 billion. |
New York vs. Other Northeast States, 2024 Filing Year
|
National Rank |
State |
Avg. Refund Per Filer |
Refund Rate |
Refunds Issued |
|
8 |
Connecticut |
$3,142.77 |
72.1% |
1,312,424 |
|
9 |
New Jersey |
$3,140.74 |
70.6% |
3,279,867 |
|
10 |
New York |
$3,124.88 |
72.1% |
7,060,436 |
|
17 |
Massachusetts |
$3,034.16 |
73.3% |
2,632,073 |
|
18 |
New Hampshire |
$2,999.44 |
73.4% |
533,949 |
|
34 |
Pennsylvania |
$2,804.84 |
75.6% |
4,754,516 |
|
44 |
Rhode Island |
$2,677.42 |
75.1% |
429,039 |
|
47 |
Vermont |
$2,588.92 |
72.1% |
241,322 |
|
50 |
Maine |
$2,444.83 |
72.7% |
514,530 |
|
New York ranks third among the nine Northeast states by average refund, trailing Connecticut by $17.89 and New Jersey by $15.86. On refund volume, however, New York dominates the region: its 7,060,436 refunds issued accounts for 34.01% of the 20.76 million refunds paid across all nine Northeast states combined, making it by far the largest refund economy in the Northeast. |
New York’s Share of America’s $354.39 Billion in Federal Refunds
|
Measure |
New York |
U.S. (50 States) |
New York Share |
|
Total refund dollars paid |
$22.06 billion |
$354.39 billion |
6.23% |
|
Refunds issued |
7,060,436 |
116,472,919 |
6.06% |
|
Individual returns filed |
9,792,613 |
159,103,472 |
6.15% |
|
Average refund per filer |
$3,124.88 |
$3,042.69 |
1.03x |
|
Refund rate |
72.1% |
73.2% |
-1.1 pp |
|
New York’s share of national refund dollars (6.23%) sits slightly above its share of filers (6.15%), a 0.08-percentage-point gap driven by above-average check size (1.03x national). New York’s refund rate of 72.1% is 1.1 points below national, meaning the state’s top 10 placement rests on check size rather than refund frequency, similar to the pattern across other Northeastern states in the top 10. |
Methodology
The analysis draws on IRS Statistics of Income data for the 2024 filing year, specifically Table 3 (number of individual income tax returns filed by state), Table 7 (number of individual refunds issued by state), and Table 8 (dollar amount of individual refunds issued by state, in thousands). The universe covers all 50 US states. Each state’s refund dollars were normalized to an average refund per refund issued so states of different sizes could be compared directly, alongside a refund rate (refunds issued divided by returns filed) and total refund dollars paid. States were then ranked from the highest to the lowest average refund, with Rank 1 indicating the state with the biggest checks and Rank 50 the smallest. A national benchmark of $3,042.69 per refund serves as the comparison point throughout, and findings describe the 50 US states only, excluding the District of Columbia and US territories.
Data Sources
-
- IRS Statistics of Income, Returns Filed, Taxes Collected, and Refunds Issued → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 3: Number of Individual Income Tax Returns Filed by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 7: Number of Individual Refunds Issued by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- IRS Table 8: Dollar Amount of Individual Refunds Issued by State → https://www.irs.gov/statistics/returns-filed-taxes-collected-and-refunds-issued
- Research Dataset → https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i194PpCI0yo1bEaIhP0ONej9NMVgApelEnIjJiIR0MM/edit?gid=0#gid=0
- Study by → https://www.ladahlaw.com/
About Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas
The study was conducted by Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, an experienced personal injury law firm dedicated to protecting clients’ rights and maximizing claim value.