Quote Originally Posted by Hasu Dackds View Post
A lot of military in Florida
Good point too. I'm not sure precisely how those dollars are calculated in this chart. For just the generally poor southern states, I think it's just about the poverty rate requiring a lot of food stamps and welfare programs. From the article:

"Another part of the explanation is easier to discern. The reddest states on that map at the top—Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Maine—have exceptionally high poverty rates and thus receive disproportionately large shares of federal dollars. Through a variety of social programs, the federal government disburses hundreds of billions of dollars each year to maintain a “safety net” intended to help the neediest among us. Consider, for example, the percentage of each state’s residents who get “food stamps” through the federal government’s SNAP program. This chart tells the story."