I'm not sure what you are saying with this post, so I'll comment free form. CA spends more than any other state on welfare with total welfare expenditures at $98.5BB. On a per capita basis New York sits at the top position with $3,305 per person with a total expenditure of $19.85BB. Alabama ranks 36th on a per capita basis.
States That Spend the Most and Least on Welfare
The title of the article you posted, Most & Least Federally Dependent States, is laughable. It includes funding of every sort and leaves open for debate on whom is more dependent on whom, the Fed gov or the State.
The article includes contracts. Alabama has the worlds greatest concentration of rocket scientists and it should be no surprise that this industry gets a fair number of federal contracts. This is one of Alabama's largest contributors to its economy. Some of the funding for those contracts comes from foreign entities but need to be funneled through the Dept of State so they did not originate with the American taxpayer. My main point is that it might be a stretch to equate aerospace, advance manufacturing, and bio-science spending to Gavin Newsom's desire to (further) pour cash into the pockets of illegal immigrants. Gavin wold certainly disagree.
I used the Census Bureau 2019 pop estimates for the below.
Here's total welfare spend (lowest to highest)
Rank in Total Welfare $$ | Rank in per capita Welfare $$ | State | Welfare Spend | Pop. | Per capita |
1 | 37 | Wyoming | $843M | 578,759 | 1,457 |
2 | 47 | South Dakota | $1.1B | 884,659 | 1,243 |
3 | 20 | North Dakota | $1.6B | 762,062 | 2,100 |
4 | 31 | Montana | $1.8B | 1,068,778 | 1,684 |
5 | 3 | Vermont | $1.8B | 623,989 | 2,885 |
6 | 2 | Alaska | $2.2B | 731,545 | 3,007 |
7 | 11 | Delaware | $2.4B | 973,764 | 2,465 |
8 | 42 | Idaho | $2.5B | 1,787,065 | 1,399 |
9 | 26 | New Hampshire | $2.6B | 1,359,711 | 1,912 |
10 | 13 | Rhode Island | $2.6B | 1,059,361 | 2,454 |
11 | 43 | Nebraska | $2.7B | 1,934,408 | 1,396 |
12 | 22 | Hawaii | $2.9B | 1,415,872 | 2,048 |
13 | 7 | Maine | $3.4B | 1,344,212 | 2,529 |
14 | 49 | Utah | $3.6B | 3,205,958 | 1,123 |
15 | 39 | Kansas | $4.2B | 2,913,314 | 1,442 |
16 | 44 | Nevada | $4.2B | 3,080,156 | 1,364 |
17 | 12 | West Virginia | $4.4B | 1,792,147 | 2,455 |
18 | 6 | New Mexico | $5.7B | 2,096,829 | 2,718 |
19 | 17 | Mississippi | $6.3B | 2,976,149 | 2,117 |
20 | 21 | Iowa | $6.5B | 3,155,070 | 2,060 |
21 | 33 | Oklahoma | $6.6B | 3,956,971 | 1,668 |
22 | 15 | Arkansas | $6.9B | 3,017,825 | 2,286 |
23 | 36 | Alabama | $7.2B | 4,903,185 | 1,468 |
24 | 40 | South Carolina | $7.4B | 5,148,714 | 1,437 |
25 | 19 | Connecticut | $7.5B | 3,565,287 | 2,104 |
26 | 35 | Colorado | $8.5B | 5,758,736 | 1,476 |
27 | 28 | Louisiana | $8.7B | 4,648,794 | 1,871 |
28 | 38 | Missouri | $8.9B | 6,137,428 | 1,450 |
29 | 10 | Oregon | $10.4B | 4,217,737 | 2,466 |
30 | 8 | Kentucky | $11.2B | 4,467,673 | 2,507 |
31 | 32 | Tennessee | $11.5B | 6,833,174 | 1,683 |
32 | 50 | Georgia | $11.7B | 10,617,423 | 1,102 |
33 | 23 | Maryland | $12.1B | 6,045,680 | 2,001 |
34 | 41 | Virginia | $12.1B | 8,535,519 | 1,418 |
35 | 18 | Wisconsin | $12.3B | 5,822,434 | 2,113 |
36 | 27 | Indiana | $12.7B | 6,732,219 | 1,886 |
37 | 29 | Washington | $12.9B | 7,614,893 | 1,694 |
38 | 45 | North Carolina | $13.4B | 10,488,084 | 1,278 |
39 | 25 | Arizona | $14.0B | 7,278,717 | 1,923 |
40 | 5 | Minnesota | $15.6B | 5,639,632 | 2,766 |
41 | 30 | Michigan | $16.9B | 9,986,857 | 1,692 |
42 | 24 | New Jersey | $17.7B | 8,882,190 | 1,993 |
43 | 4 | Massachusetts | $19.9B | 6,949,503 | 2,864 |
44 | 34 | Illinois | $20.2B | 12,671,821 | 1,594 |
45 | 16 | Ohio | $26.2B | 11,689,100 | 2,241 |
46 | 48 | Florida | $26.7B | 21,477,737 | 1,243 |
47 | 14 | Pennsylvania | $30.3B | 12,801,989 | 2,367 |
48 | 46 | Texas | $36.9B | 28,995,881 | 1,273 |
49 | 1 | New York | $65.6B | 19,453,561 | 3,372 |
50 | 9 | California | $98.5B | 39,512,223 | 2,493 |
And per capita welfare spend (highest to lowest)
Rank in Total Welfare $$ | Rank in per capita Welfare $$ | State | Welfare Spend | Pop. | Per capita |
49 | 1 | New York | $65.6B | 19,453,561 | 3,372 |
6 | 2 | Alaska | $2.2B | 731,545 | 3,007 |
5 | 3 | Vermont | $1.8B | 623,989 | 2,885 |
43 | 4 | Massachusetts | $19.9B | 6,949,503 | 2,864 |
40 | 5 | Minnesota | $15.6B | 5,639,632 | 2,766 |
18 | 6 | New Mexico | $5.7B | 2,096,829 | 2,718 |
13 | 7 | Maine | $3.4B | 1,344,212 | 2,529 |
30 | 8 | Kentucky | $11.2B | 4,467,673 | 2,507 |
50 | 9 | California | $98.5B | 39,512,223 | 2,493 |
29 | 10 | Oregon | $10.4B | 4,217,737 | 2,466 |
7 | 11 | Delaware | $2.4B | 973,764 | 2,465 |
17 | 12 | West Virginia | $4.4B | 1,792,147 | 2,455 |
10 | 13 | Rhode Island | $2.6B | 1,059,361 | 2,454 |
47 | 14 | Pennsylvania | $30.3B | 12,801,989 | 2,367 |
22 | 15 | Arkansas | $6.9B | 3,017,825 | 2,286 |
45 | 16 | Ohio | $26.2B | 11,689,100 | 2,241 |
19 | 17 | Mississippi | $6.3B | 2,976,149 | 2,117 |
35 | 18 | Wisconsin | $12.3B | 5,822,434 | 2,113 |
25 | 19 | Connecticut | $7.5B | 3,565,287 | 2,104 |
3 | 20 | North Dakota | $1.6B | 762,062 | 2,100 |
20 | 21 | Iowa | $6.5B | 3,155,070 | 2,060 |
12 | 22 | Hawaii | $2.9B | 1,415,872 | 2,048 |
33 | 23 | Maryland | $12.1B | 6,045,680 | 2,001 |
42 | 24 | New Jersey | $17.7B | 8,882,190 | 1,993 |
39 | 25 | Arizona | $14.0B | 7,278,717 | 1,923 |
9 | 26 | New Hampshire | $2.6B | 1,359,711 | 1,912 |
36 | 27 | Indiana | $12.7B | 6,732,219 | 1,886 |
27 | 28 | Louisiana | $8.7B | 4,648,794 | 1,871 |
37 | 29 | Washington | $12.9B | 7,614,893 | 1,694 |
41 | 30 | Michigan | $16.9B | 9,986,857 | 1,692 |
4 | 31 | Montana | $1.8B | 1,068,778 | 1,684 |
31 | 32 | Tennessee | $11.5B | 6,833,174 | 1,683 |
21 | 33 | Oklahoma | $6.6B | 3,956,971 | 1,668 |
44 | 34 | Illinois | $20.2B | 12,671,821 | 1,594 |
26 | 35 | Colorado | $8.5B | 5,758,736 | 1,476 |
23 | 36 | Alabama | $7.2B | 4,903,185 | 1,468 |
1 | 37 | Wyoming | $843M | 578,759 | 1,457 |
28 | 38 | Missouri | $8.9B | 6,137,428 | 1,450 |
15 | 39 | Kansas | $4.2B | 2,913,314 | 1,442 |
24 | 40 | South Carolina | $7.4B | 5,148,714 | 1,437 |
34 | 41 | Virginia | $12.1B | 8,535,519 | 1,418 |
8 | 42 | Idaho | $2.5B | 1,787,065 | 1,399 |
11 | 43 | Nebraska | $2.7B | 1,934,408 | 1,396 |
16 | 44 | Nevada | $4.2B | 3,080,156 | 1,364 |
38 | 45 | North Carolina | $13.4B | 10,488,084 | 1,278 |
48 | 46 | Texas | $36.9B | 28,995,881 | 1,273 |
2 | 47 | South Dakota | $1.1B | 884,659 | 1,243 |
46 | 48 | Florida | $26.7B | 21,477,737 | 1,243 |
14 | 49 | Utah | $3.6B | 3,205,958 | 1,123 |
32 | 50 | Georgia | $11.7B | 10,617,423 | 1,102 |