D.C. Hates Cash for Clunkers

Floyd Norris reports:

Where were all those clunkers that the government paid to get rid of?

A disproportionate number were in New England. The South seems to have not had its share.

The government released the state-by-state figures today for the clunker rebates. Using the latest population estimates from the Census Department, I calculated the per capita dollars sent out by this program to residents of each state.

Leading the pack is New Hampshire, which stands to receive $17.51 a person. Vermont is second at $15.90. Rounding out the top 10 are Minnesota, North Dakota, Maryland, Michigan, South Dakota, Delaware, Virginia and Maine.

The least money went to residents of the District of Columbia, at 11 cents each. That means the average New Hampshire resident received 159 times as much money as the average District denizen. D.C. residents filed for just $67,500 in all. Since the clunker rebates were as much as $4,500 a car, that could translate into just 15 cars.

Click for ginormous chart


Source: DOT