In looking at the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed by the Senate, we can make initial calculations on the amount of federal aid each state will receive from the stimulus bill.
The total state aid package in the bill equals a whopping $150 billion. The funds will be allocated based on population, but there are a few wrinkles.
For example, there is a minimum allocation of $1.25 billion for each state, which overrides the population-based allotment. As a result, smaller states like Wyoming are likely to come out incredibly well on a per capita basis. Wyoming is slated to receive $2,160 per capita and Vermont gets $2,003 per capita from the state aid package in the stimulus bill.
In contrast, more heavily populated states like New York and Washington state, two of the states that have been hit most heavily by the coronavirus pandemic, look like they’ll receive just $389 per capita from the state aid portion of the stimulus and relief bill.
Additionally, $11 billion from the bill is set to go to Washington, D.C., territories and Native American tribes, further reducing the total pot significantly.
You can view how much each state is expected to receive, on a per capita basis, from the state aid package in the COVID-19 stimulus bill by hovering over the states on the map below.
COVID-19 Stimulus Aid Allocation Per Capita