California receives more welfare than any other state.
Yes, California receives and disburses more federal welfare dollars than any other state.Federal welfare funding—primarily through programs like Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF/CalWORKs), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh), and related child welfare and social services—flows to states based on formulas incorporating population size, poverty levels, and enrollment.
As the nation's most populous state with nearly 39 million residents and a significant low-income population, California tops the list for total federal welfare allocations.
For example, in fiscal year 2022, California received about $95 billion in federal public welfare transfers (59% of its total $162 billion in federal aid to state and local governments), driven largely by $58 billion for Medi-Cal alone serving over 13 million enrollees.
This dwarfs other states: New York, the next highest, received around $70 billion in similar federal welfare funds, while Texas got about $45 billion.
Nationally, federal welfare spending exceeded $1.1 trillion in 2022, with California accounting for roughly 9% of it.
For disbursement, states like California administer these dollars through local agencies, counties, and providers—handling eligibility, payments, and services for recipients.
California's state budget for 2025-26 incorporates nearly $175 billion in total federal funds, including $137 billion for health and human services (mostly welfare-related), confirming its role in distributing the largest share.
Per capita, California ranks lower (around $2,400 in federal welfare per resident), but total volume remains unmatched due to scale.
These patterns hold in more recent data: Federal welfare outlays totaled about $1.05 trillion in fiscal year 2024, with California's share again leading at over $100 billion when adjusted for ongoing Medicaid expansions and post-pandemic caseloads. Smaller or less populous states like New Mexico or Mississippi receive far less in absolute terms, even if they rely more heavily as a percentage of their budgets.