Massachusetts pays its welfare recipients what would amount an pre-tax wage of more than $24 an hour, and ranks third in the nation in terms of dollars doled out per welfare collector, according to a new study released by the Cato Institute.

The libertarian think tank based in Washington D.C., estimates the total value of the state’s “typical” welfare package — which can include cash, food, housing and medical assistance — if it were taxable income, at $50,540, more than most entry-level wages. The report said that creates an incentive to remain on government assistance.

Update:

“Still, it is undeniable that for many recipients – especially long-term dependents – welfare pays more than the type of entry-level job that a typical welfare recipient can expect to find,” the study says. “As long as this is true, many recipients are likely to choose welfare over work.”

The Bay State gave $42,515 worth of welfare to the “typical recipient” in 2013, only behind Washington D.C., at $43,099 and Hawaii at $49,175, the study says, adding that the pre-tax value of a total Massachusetts benefits package if it were an earned salary would be $50,540.

A spokesman for the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance could not immediately be reached for comment.

Read the study: The Work versus Welfare Trade-Off: 2013