One of the best realities of New York State: it ain’t New Mexico.

In WalletHub’s published study of 2018’s Most & Least Federally Dependent States, New York ranks near the top on the good end of that spectrum. The study places the Empire State as the 15th most independent, and new Mexico most dependent.

Of course, one reason New York doesn't REQUIRE as much federal assistance is the heavy tax burden it levies against its residents. And because of its high marks in gross domestic production (2nd behind only Massachusetts), New York may be perceived by the federal government as self-sufficient enough to subsist on its own.

The methodology of the study focused on two areas: (1) the dependence of each state's residents on federal assistance and (2) the dependence of the state itself on federal dollars. New York ranked 44th (not so great) in the former and 23rd (not too bad) in the latter.

In an interesting side note, North Dakota's RESIDENTS ranked as THE #1 most dependent on federal dollars, while the STATE of North Dakota ranked LEAST dependent (50th), which balanced out to an overall rank of 26th.

The least federally dependent state in the study was Delaware.

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