Chuck Campbell

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

A new study suggests Tennessee isn't paying its way in America as the state's residents and government are taking more from the federal government than they're putting in.

The report is from WalletHub, a financial-advice website that also releases studies on economic and social issues affecting U.S. states and cities.

The new report, released today, figures Tennessee’s state government is the third most-dependent state on federal funding, a figure derived from the proportion of state revenue that comes from the federal government in the form of intergovernmental aid. It also estimates Tennessee residents are the 20th most-dependent on federal aid, which was calculated by dividing federal funding to state’s residents by IRS collections from state residents.

The study also says Tennesseans have the sixth-lowest tax rate in America.

WalletHub calculated its data based on statistics from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, USAspending.gov, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Governing.com.

Kentucky earned the study's dubious distinction as the most-dependent state on federal funding, followed by Mississippi, New Mexico, Alabama and West Virginia, By contrast, Delaware is the study's least-dependent state on federal funds, followed by Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois and California.

Most federal-fund-dependent states:

1. Kentucky

2. Mississippi

3. New Mexico

4. Alabama

5. West Virginia

6. South Carolina

7. Montana

8 Tennessee

9. Maine

10. Indiana

Least federal-fund-dependent states:

1. Delaware

2. Minnesota

3. New Jersey

4. Illinois

5. California

6. Kansas

7. Nevada

8. Massachusetts

9. Connecticut

10. New Hampshire