Families living in rural and mixed-rural counties claim $24 billion in Earned Income Tax Credits annually*. In total, 6.1 million families (about one-in-five) claimed the credit on their taxes in 2012.
In the most rural places, 22% of households claimed the credit totaling $6.2 billion. In the poorest counties (counties with 30% child poverty or higher, home to 1.7 million children living in poverty), 32% of households claimed the credit worth $6.0 billion.
See the table below to find the value of EITC to rural communities in your state.
Value of Earned Income Tax Credit Claimed in Rural and Mixed-Rural Counties by State |
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| State | Total Tax Returns |
Returns with EITC |
% Returns with EITC |
EITC Amount Claimed |
| Alabama | 1,301,507 | 359,950 | 28% | $954,058,806 |
| Alaska | 321,938 | 48,016 | 15% | $96,907,470 |
| Arizona | 946,551 | 239,297 | 25% | $594,279,327 |
| Arkansas | 956,813 | 258,043 | 27% | $644,154,620 |
| California | 4,137,200 | 983,100 | 24% | $2,450,592,828 |
| Colorado | 926,695 | 162,238 | 18% | $349,282,828 |
| Connecticut | 138,495 | 17,031 | 12% | $32,195,066 |
| Delaware | 160,365 | 32,160 | 20% | $74,634,721 |
| D.C.** | ||||
| Florida | 1,740,368 | 392,445 | 23% | $951,166,742 |
| Georgia | 1,280,644 | 401,586 | 31% | $1,073,570,378 |
| Hawaii | 169,909 | 35,135 | 21% | $74,613,654 |
| Idaho | 384,619 | 83,368 | 22% | $186,261,625 |
| Illinois | 1,495,828 | 260,703 | 17% | $582,746,168 |
| Indiana | 1,309,776 | 241,517 | 18% | $529,496,735 |
| Iowa | 1,081,078 | 164,260 | 15% | $343,942,507 |
| Kansas | 623,364 | 112,745 | 18% | $249,193,414 |
| Kentucky | 1,108,278 | 274,784 | 25% | $644,886,278 |
| Louisiana | 1,165,030 | 336,629 | 29% | $906,807,352 |
| Maine | 453,432 | 82,450 | 18% | $166,112,006 |
| Maryland | 276,688 | 48,817 | 18% | $107,863,546 |
| Massachusetts | 175,453 | 22,958 | 13% | $40,658,588 |
| Michigan | 1,522,703 | 280,616 | 18% | $609,828,342 |
| Minnesota | 1,141,342 | 166,535 | 15% | $336,872,421 |
| Mississippi | 996,445 | 349,861 | 35% | $966,808,703 |
| Missouri | 1,166,322 | 257,380 | 22% | $592,891,177 |
| Montana | 439,935 | 79,291 | 18% | $162,305,575 |
| Nebraska | 379,402 | 63,831 | 17% | $140,303,727 |
| Nevada | 1,120,434 | 223,171 | 20% | $519,604,699 |
| New Hampshire | 231,894 | 32,947 | 14% | $62,138,398 |
| New Jersey | 203,313 | 18,005 | 9% | $34,406,996 |
| New Mexico | 547,768 | 151,762 | 28% | $364,412,403 |
| New York | 1,517,009 | 264,410 | 17% | $554,815,722 |
| North Carolina | 1,957,285 | 500,040 | 26% | $1,220,937,433 |
| North Dakota | 332,497 | 41,848 | 13% | $84,064,181 |
| Ohio | 1,666,962 | 302,839 | 18% | $671,386,326 |
| Oklahoma | 804,647 | 194,007 | 24% | $465,033,191 |
| Oregon | 1,026,608 | 186,908 | 18% | $392,845,552 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,532,546 | 236,031 | 15% | $472,783,277 |
| Rhode Island** | ||||
| South Carolina | 1,067,777 | 300,205 | 28% | $751,221,390 |
| South Dakota | 384,695 | 62,703 | 16% | $131,466,922 |
| Tennessee | 1,381,854 | 331,047 | 24% | $778,939,034 |
| Texas | 3,212,006 | 807,270 | 25% | $2,064,313,154 |
| Utah | 427,275 | 80,563 | 19% | $187,158,568 |
| Vermont | 299,850 | 44,938 | 15% | $82,817,634 |
| Virginia | 1,080,591 | 207,843 | 19% | $457,642,439 |
| Washington | 930,818 | 173,662 | 19% | $384,128,161 |
| West Virginia | 630,266 | 131,317 | 21% | $284,352,338 |
| Wisconsin | 1,386,446 | 195,928 | 14% | $387,124,388 |
| Wyoming | 266,122 | 36,491 | 14% | $73,007,682 |
| TOTAL | 47,808,843 | 10,278,681 | 21% | $24,287,034,492 |
Data notes
Jason Gray and Travis Green contributed to this data report for the RuFES Action Network.
* Figures calculated by compiling 2012 EITC tax data from Brookings, the 2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Population Estimates and place designations developed by A. Isserman. Margins of error were excluded so figures should be taken as rough approximations.
** Rhode Island and D.C. have no counties that are classified as “rural” or “mixed-rural” according to the measures of Andrew Isserman.
Rural Family Economic Success Action Network 