Average tax refund in Illinois ranks 7th highest in the nation


Average federal tax refunds in Illinois ranked seventh among the 50 states, according to a new analysis from the website 24/7 Wall St.

The average refund in the state was $3,525, based on 24/7 Wall St.’s examination of 2017 IRS Data Book numbers. The refunds resulted from more than 245 million tax returns submitted to the Internal Revenue Service by individuals, businesses, trust funds and other entities.

Illinois residents have a median household income of $62,992. Federal tax collections per capita in the state was $12,680, while the percentage of filers receiving refunds was 50.6.

The average refund calculated in the 24/7 Wall St. study was $3,582. Refunds, however, were not distributed evenly among the states, with residents in three states receiving refunds averaging more than $4,000, while the average in three other states was under $2,500.

The reasons for the wide range in refund numbers are varied, according to the study. Lower refunds tend to go to residents of states with no state income taxes, while residents in states with high tax rates tend to get higher refunds, the study found.

Average Federal Tax Refunds by State

Rank State Median Household Income Federal Tax Collections per capita % Filings Receiving Refunds Average Federal Tax Refund
1 Delaware $62,852 $17,757 47.6% $4,445
2 New Jersey $80,088 $15,972 47.8% $4,153
3 Connecticut $74,168 $16,036 48.5% $4,001
4 Texas $59,206 $9,573 53.5% $3,949
5 Minnesota $68,388 $18,726 47.9% $3,846
6 Oklahoma $50,051 $6,897 49.3% $3,714
7 Illinois $62,992 $12,680 50.6% $3,525
8 New York $64,894 $13,519 48.9% $3,458
9 Louisiana $46,145 $9,121 51.9% $3,261
10 California $71,805 $11,141 46.5% $3,239
11 Washington $70,979 $11,596 48.7% $3,234
12 Iowa $58,570 $7,834 48.3% $3,231
13 Massachusetts $77,385 $16,472 48.6% $3,202
14 Wyoming $60,434 $7,584 42.7% $3,191
15 North Dakota $61,843 $8,790 42.9% $3,175
16 Georgia $56,183 $9,040 52.1% $3,153
17 Virginia $71,535 $10,293 51.1% $3,124
18 Missouri $53,578 $11,764 49.7% $3,105
19 Florida $52,594 $9,191 46.8% $3,096
20 Rhode Island $63,870 $14,078 52.0% $3,081
21 Pennsylvania $59,195 $10,917 52.8% $3,068
22 Maryland $80,776 $11,772 50.3% $3,039
23 Mississippi $43,529 $3,934 56.4% $3,017
24 Nevada $58,003 $7,195 52.1% $3,015
25 Utah $68,358 $7,249 47.5% $3,007
26 Kansas $56,422 $8,775 48.5% $2,981
27 South Dakota $56,521 $9,053 43.7% $2,977
28 Alaska $73,181 $7,299 49.6% $2,966
29 Colorado $69,117 $10,120 44.1% $2,964
30 Alabama $48,123 $5,453 54.4% $2,933
31 Nebraska $59,970 $13,255 47.9% $2,919
32 Arkansas $45,869 $10,804 51.8% $2,912
33 Tennessee $51,340 $10,284 57.0% $2,860
34 Indiana $54,181 $8,841 56.1% $2,832
35 South Carolina $50,570 $5,301 52.0% $2,828
36 New Hampshire $73,381 $9,040 50.5% $2,801
37 Ohio $54,021 $12,187 54.9% $2,776
38 Arizona $56,581 $6,261 48.9% $2,750
39 Kentucky $48,375 $7,886 55.7% $2,742
40 Michigan $54,909 $8,299 52.4% $2,737
41 North Carolina $52,752 $8,065 51.9% $2,726
42 New Mexico $46,744 $4,300 52.5% $2,702
43 Oregon $60,212 $7,808 44.6% $2,692
44 Hawaii $77,765 $6,595 48.4% $2,682
45 West Virginia $43,469 $3,844 58.7% $2,675
46 Wisconsin $59,305 $9,160 50.8% $2,621
47 Idaho $52,225 $6,049 45.6% $2,512
48 Maine $56,277 $6,051 46.8% $2,497
49 Vermont $57,513 $7,092 45.4% $2,443
50 Montana $53,386 $5,788 39.8% $2,421

Source: 24/7 Wall St.