John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor. Medicaid was the second largest, totaling $17.84 billion, equating to $2,291 per capita and making up 21.4% of total transfers.
Medicare was the third largest contributor in Washington in 2022, accounting for $17.33 billion, averaging $2,226 per capita, and represented 20.8% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $8.16 billion, averaging $1,048 per capita and comprising 9.8% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $83.28 billion, and accounted for 14.2% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,697 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 16.7% of the population aged 65 and older, Washington has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Washington, excluding government transfers was $64,635.6, which is below the county's total income of $75,332, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Washington saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.3%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Washington, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.1% (or $2,340 per capita) in 1970 to 14.2% (or $10,697 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King County | 1 | 7.5% | 14.1% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 0.7% | $8,503 |
| Pierce County | 2 | 18.2% | 14.8% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 4% | 1.9% | $10,933 |
| Snohomish County | 3 | 12.7% | 14.8% | 4.7% | 2.7% | 2.4% | 1.2% | $8,774 |
| Spokane County | 4 | 22.4% | 17.3% | 7.1% | 4.6% | 5% | 2.4% | $12,148 |
| Clark County | 5 | 15.8% | 16.7% | 5.7% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 1.6% | $10,329 |
| Thurston County | 6 | 19.7% | 18.8% | 7.3% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.6% | $11,743 |
| Yakima County | 7 | 27.5% | 14.5% | 6.3% | 4% | 10.5% | 4.3% | $13,527 |
| Kitsap County | 8 | 17% | 19.7% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 3% | 1.3% | $11,578 |
| Whatcom County | 9 | 19.1% | 18.9% | 7% | 4.4% | 3.7% | 1.7% | $11,269 |
| Benton County | 10 | 19.4% | 15.9% | 6.8% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 2.1% | $10,584 |
| Skagit County | 11 | 21.4% | 22.6% | 8% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 1.9% | $13,483 |
| Cowlitz County | 12 | 26.6% | 19.8% | 9% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 3.1% | $14,522 |
| Clallam County | 13 | 30.9% | 32.4% | 12.6% | 7.7% | 5.2% | 2.1% | $17,193 |
| Lewis County | 14 | 27.9% | 21.5% | 9.4% | 6% | 6.5% | 3% | $14,726 |
| Grays Harbor County | 15 | 34.3% | 23.6% | 11.5% | 7.3% | 8.5% | 3.6% | $16,056 |
| Island County | 16 | 21.2% | 27.1% | 9% | 4.9% | 2.5% | 1.1% | $13,904 |
| Grant County | 17 | 24.2% | 14.6% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 7.6% | 3.6% | $11,841 |
| Chelan County | 18 | 21.6% | 21.1% | 7.2% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 2.1% | $13,545 |
| Mason County | 19 | 28.1% | 24.3% | 10.4% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 2.5% | $14,410 |
| Franklin County | 20 | 20.6% | 10.3% | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6.9% | 3.4% | $9,497 |
| Walla Walla County | 21 | 23.4% | 20.1% | 7.8% | 4.7% | 5.7% | 2.3% | $12,947 |
| Stevens County | 22 | 32.6% | 25.4% | 11.2% | 6.5% | 7.5% | 3.2% | $15,222 |
| Okanogan County | 23 | 32.5% | 23.5% | 9.6% | 6.7% | 9.5% | 3.4% | $16,121 |
| Jefferson County | 24 | 28.3% | 40.8% | 13% | 7.5% | 3.7% | 1.4% | $17,788 |
| Kittitas County | 25 | 20.4% | 18.4% | 7.7% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 1.6% | $11,250 |
| Douglas County | 26 | 22.9% | 18.6% | 7.7% | 5.1% | 5.5% | 2.3% | $11,260 |
| Pacific County | 27 | 39.6% | 33.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% | 7.3% | 2.9% | $18,397 |
| Whitman County | 28 | 18.2% | 11.7% | 5.6% | 3.8% | 3.3% | 1.6% | $8,499 |
| Asotin County | 29 | 30.4% | 25.5% | 10.6% | 6.6% | 7.5% | 2.8% | $16,535 |
| Klickitat County | 30 | 29.2% | 25.2% | 10% | 6.1% | 7.1% | 2.6% | $15,553 |
| San Juan County | 31 | 15.4% | 35.9% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 1.6% | 0.6% | $13,778 |
| Adams County | 32 | 24.9% | 12% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 10.6% | 4% | $11,943 |
| Pend Oreille County | 33 | 34.8% | 27.4% | 12% | 6.4% | 8.8% | 3.5% | $17,006 |
| Lincoln County | 34 | 28.7% | 26.1% | 10.6% | 8.5% | 4.2% | 2% | $14,921 |
| Skamania County | 35 | 18.1% | 25% | 7% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 1.6% | $11,300 |
| Ferry County | 36 | 40.4% | 30.3% | 13.5% | 8% | 10.4% | 3.8% | $17,849 |
| Columbia County | 37 | 30% | 29.1% | 9.8% | 8% | 7.1% | 2.2% | $18,753 |
| Wahkiakum County | 38 | 30% | 33.8% | 13.6% | 6.9% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $15,089 |
| Garfield County | 39 | 28.7% | 26.7% | 9.1% | 9.8% | 4.7% | 1.9% | $16,683 |
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