Taxes 2024: 10 States Where Residents Are Anxious About Refund Checks

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If you’re one of the 2 in 3 Americans expecting a 2023 tax refund, you might be anxiously awaiting this cash to pay bills, build wealth or make a major purchase. You’re also not alone, as many taxpayers are searching online to check their refund status or learn about typical IRS timeframes.

LLC.org recently did a study to see where taxpayers looked up tax refund information the most. Using Google search volume data and government population data, it ranked states based on tax-refund-related searches per 100,000 residents. Here are the top 10 states, which are mostly in the South, and their poverty rates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

10. South Carolina

• Total tax refund searches: 1,670,520
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 31,623
• State poverty rate (2022): 14%

9. Ohio

• Total tax refund searches: 3,727,240
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 31,960
• State poverty rate (2022): 13.4%

8. Texas

• Total tax refund searches: 9,703,000
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 32,312
• State poverty rate (2022): 14%

7. Indiana

• Total tax refund searches: 2,455,320
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 35,933
• State poverty rate (2022): 12.6%

6. Arkansas

• Total tax refund searches: 1,116,100
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 36,646
• State poverty rate (2022): 16.8%

5. Tennessee

• Total tax refund searches: 2,860,110
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 40,561
• State poverty rate (2022): 13.3%

4. Louisiana 

• Total tax refund searches: 1,934,530
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 42,144
• State poverty rate (2022): 18.6%

3. Alabama

• Total tax refund searches: 2,278,650
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 44,906
• State poverty rate (2022): 16.2%

2. Georgia

• Total tax refund searches: 5,251,640
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 48,123
• State poverty rate (2022): 12.7%

1. Mississippi

• Total tax refund searches: 1,549,300
• Searches per 100,000 residents: 52,696
• State poverty rate (2022): 19.1%

Why Residents Are So Anxious About Their Tax Refunds

Financial hardship likely plays a role in these 10 featured states. While the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 12.6% national poverty rate for 2022, most of these 10 states had higher rates, with Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana especially standing out. This presents a challenge despite these states having relatively low costs of living per the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.

As part of its study, LLC.org asked 1,500 Americans about their tax refund plans. Although 34% planned to save the money, 30% expected to put their refunds toward debt and 19% would cover essential costs. Only 12% of respondents planned to invest the cash, and a combined 14% planned to use it for vacations, entertainment or high-ticket items.

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