TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey has once again earned a distinction few residents are likely to celebrate. Adding to the growing list of “last in the country”, a new bottom-dwelling statistic has been revealed by a study conducted earlier this year.
According to WalletHub’s 2026 analysis, New Jersey ranks 50th among the states in federal dependency, making it the state that receives the least relative return from Washington. While other states receive significantly more in grants, contracts, and federal employment, New Jersey continues to be what economists call a “donor state”—sending far more tax dollars to the federal government than it receives in return.
The ranking is based on three measures: how much federal funding a state receives compared with the taxes its residents pay, the share of federal jobs in the state, and federal funding as a percentage of state revenue.
Whether you agree with WalletHub’s methodology or not, the broader issue isn’t new. For decades, New Jersey has routinely ranked among the states that contribute more to the federal treasury than they receive.
That raises an obvious question.
What exactly is New Jersey’s congressional delegation doing to change it?
While U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim are a constant on social media, fighting Trump on social issues, standing up for illegal immigrants and transgender rights, they are not in D.C. fighting hard for the average every day New Jersey residents.
The Garden State sends two senators and twelve members of the House of Representatives to Washington. Their job isn’t simply to vote on national legislation and star in viral anti-Trump TikTok videos.
Their job is not to take photo ops, hoping to get another suit into the Smithsonian.
It’s also to advocate for New Jersey’s interests, compete for federal grants, protect military installations, secure infrastructure investments, and ensure taxpayers receive a fair return on the money they send to Washington.
We’re not getting our fair share, and that’s a fact, because our congressional and senate delegations are pushing more for ideological relief than financial relief for tax-burdened New Jerseyans.
They spend more time fighting for migrants housed inside Delaney Hall than they are for residents in rural New Jersey and on Main Street.
They have failed us.
To be clear, New Jersey’s delegation has secured federal funding in recent years. Members of Congress from both parties have supported projects including the Gateway Tunnel, NJ TRANSIT improvements, Superstorm Sandy recovery funding, drinking water infrastructure, coastal resiliency projects, and community project funding for local governments.
But all other states have representatives who are fighting and doing the necessary political brokering to get real results into the hands of New Jerseyans.
Sen. Cory Booker has focused much of his work on criminal justice reform, environmental issues, affordable housing, and civil rights while serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Andy Kim, in his first Senate term after serving in the House, has emphasized national security, banking policy, veterans’ issues, and constituent projects.
That’s all true, but so is New Jersey’s position at the bottom of nation.
If the state continues to rank last in its return from Washington, voters are justified in asking whether more aggressive advocacy is needed. Voters should be questioing why we are sending these people to D.C. Is it to battle non-stop for abortion rights, transgender rights, and illegal immigrant rights? Or are they supposed to be there working to get more federal dollars into the state?
Should New Jersey be fighting harder for defense contracts? Should it compete more aggressively for federal research dollars? Are enough federal agencies headquartered here? Could Congress do more to address formulas that disadvantage donor states?
Those are policy questions worth debating.
Being a donor state year after year leaves many residents wondering whether the balance has tipped too far.
New Jersey has one of the nation’s highest tax burdens, aging transportation infrastructure, expensive commuter rail systems, densely populated highways, and significant coastal resiliency needs. Residents could reasonably expect their representatives to make the case that the state’s contributions to the federal treasury should be matched by greater investment.
Instead of fighting Trump and standing up for illegal immigrants, can our New Jersey delegation for once, stand up for the majority too?
