The latest statistics for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit are from 2019. 2,066,616 total Work Opportunity Tax Credits were issued in the United States in 2019. Over 65% of that was for individuals who had been on SNAP (Food Stamps), the next highest categories were TANF (long and short term) at 8.03%, and the Qualified Veteran categories adding up to 7.29%. Although the value of the issued tax credits would actually vary based on hours worked, and category the employee came in under, we are using the average tax credit value of $2,400. This would give us a potential total value of 2019’s tax credits at a staggering $4,959,878,400.
Any surprises from the statistics?
California leads the pack in most categories. The number of credits issued in 2019 is down 6.3% from 2018. There were 2,204,142 credits issued in 2018 (see 2018 WOTC Statistics).
| WOTC Target Group | State Issuing Most Credits | Number of Credits |
| IV-A (TANF) | California | 12,210 |
| Veteran Receiving SNAP | Florida | 1,733 |
| Disabled Veteran | Colorado | 242 |
| Disabled Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | Florida | 1,450 |
| Veteran unemp. 4 Wk | Georgia | 8,101 |
| Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | California | 8,514 |
| Ex-felon | Kentucky | 8,922 |
| Summer Youth | Mississippi | 81 |
| Designated Community Resident | Texas | 10,150 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation | Michigan | 31,799 |
| Ticket Holder | Massachusetts | 762 |
| SNAP (FS) | Texas | 125,103 |
| SSI Recipient | California | 7,782 |
| Long term IV-A (TANF) | California | 18,136 |
| Long Term Unemployment | California | 20,952 |
Which states issued the most WOTC tax credits?
Texas issued 166,768 certifications in 2019 making it the largest issuer of Work Opportunity Tax Credits. California came in second with 158,793, Illinois 144,590 and Michigan 113,807 all issued over 100,000 in tax credits throughout 2019.
States with the most WOTC tax credits 2019
States that issued the most WOTC tax credits 2019
- Texas 166,768 (8.06% of total)
- California 158,793 (7.68% of total)
- Illinois 144,590 (6.99% of total)
- Michigan 113,807 (5.50% of total)
- Ohio 97,918 (4.73% of total)
- Florida 97,430 (4.71% of total)
- Pennsylvania 93,042 (4.50% of total)
- Georgia 92,679 (4.48% of total)
- North Carolina 80,055 (5.91% of total)
- Tennessee 72,107 (5.32% of total)
Which states received the most and least requests for WOTC?
Not surprising here, the two states with the highest estimated populations Texas came in at 621,265 and California came in at 596,922. Illinois received the third highest requests with 540,458.
States with Most and Least WOTC Requests 2019
States issuing most and least requests for WOTC Certification in 2019.
Most Requests
- Texas 621,265
- California 596,922
- Illinois 540,458
- Ohio 380,119
- New York 320,070
- Kentucky 296,146
- Florida 295.767
- Georgia 273,931
- Tennessee 250,807
- North Carolina 240,843
Least Requests
- Virgin Islands 997
- Puerto Rico 5,473
- DC 8,557
- South Dakota 9,068
- Montana 11,472
- Hawaii 14,629
- North Dakota 15,201
- New Hampshire 20,235
- Vermont 21,864
- Rhode Island 23,235
Which states issued most denials?
Illinois has issued the most denials at 395,009, Ohio coming in second with 282,177 denials. California and Texas also list over 200,000 denials.
- Illinois 395,009
- Ohio 282,177
- California 263,235
- Texas 247,034
- Florida 190,090
- Georgia 158,733
- Pennsylvania 112,961
- New York 108,327
- North Carolina 104,751
- Tennessee 92,180
Which states are the most caught up and most still pending with WOTC requests?
Texas currently has the most pending requests at 207,463, and California is a close second with 174,894. Kentucky, New York, Iowa, Connecticut, Kansas and Virginia still have over 100,000 requests pending for 2019.
Congratulations to Montana and New Mexico who do not have any pending requests!
What are the most popular WOTC Target Groups / Categories?
| WOTC Target Groups | Total Credits | Percentage |
| SNAP (FS) | 1,343,584 | 65.01% |
| Long term IV-A (TANF) | 97,316 | 4.71% |
| Long Term Unemployment | 96,506 | 4.67% |
| Ex-Felon | 88,388 | 4.28% |
| Designated Community Resident | 85,710 | 4.15% |
| SSI Recipient | 73,174 | 3.54% |
| IV-A (TANF) | 68,627 | 3.32% |
| Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | 68,288 | 3.30% |
| Veteran unemp. 4 Wk | 61,511 | 2.98% |
| Vocational Rehabilitation | 57,126 | 2.76% |
| Veteran Receiving SNAP | 15,051 | 0.73% |
| Ticket Holder | 5,233 | 0.25% |
| Disabled Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | 4,123 | 0.20% |
| Disabled Veteran | 1,609 | 0.08% |
| Summer Youth | 370 | 0.02% |
You can see from the table above that SNAP (FS) dominated all categories in 2019 with 1,343,584 qualified certifications, or a total of 65.01% of all qualified employees. This was the most popular category, by a wide margin.
The Qualifying Veteran categories total 7.29% of the total qualifying categories, coming in second. The most popular Veteran category was the Veteran unemployed 6 Months 3.30%. Veteran unemployed 4 Weeks 2.98%, Veteran Receiving SNAP 0.73%, Disabled Veteran unemployed 6 Months 0.20% and Disabled Veteran 0.08%.
The third most popular category was the Long term IV-A (TANF) which had 97,316 total certifications issued, and only 4.71% of the total. This is a tax credit that is taken over two years.
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for SNAP Recipients (food stamps):
- Texas 125,103
- Illinois 117,755
- California 76,317
- Florida 74,146
- Ohio 67,207
- North Carolina 66,052
- Georgia 62,397
- Pennsylvania 57,755
- Michigan 56,537
- Tennessee 54,047
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for qualified Veterans (over all five vet. categories):
- Georgia 15,110
- California 13,171
- Florida 10,236
- Texas 9,333
- Michigan 8.116
- Pennsylvania 6,628
- Arizona 5,587
- Washington 4,888
- New York 4,743
- Ohio 4,570
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families):
The IV-A (TANF) category had 68,627 qualified certifications at 3.32% overall.
- California 12,210
- Wisconsin 8,997
- Pennsylvania 5,704
- Tennessee 5,368
- Ohio 2,910
- Minnesota 2,710
- New York 2,413
- Massachusetts 2,161
- Oregon 1,978
- Kentucky 1,933
The Long term IV-A (TANF) – Credit Taken Over Two Years – had 97,316 qualified certifications at 4.71% overall.
- California 18,136
- Indiana 8,443
- Pennsylvania 7,446
- Illinois 6,066
- Ohio 5,400
- New York 5,294
- Nevada 3,459
- Minnesota 3,437
- Tennessee 3,429
- Massachusetts 3,263
Most felon friendly states:States with most WOTC Tax Credits for Ex-Felons
Ex-Felon was the fourth most popular qualifying category, at only 4.28% and 88,388 certifications issued. So which state had the most ex-felons qualifying? (Why you shouldn’t overlook hiring Ex-Offenders.)
- Kentucky 8,922
- Texas 6,725
- Ohio 6,531
- Georgia 5,257
- Wisconsin 5,057
- California 4,921
- Indiana 3,610
- North Carolina 3,118
- Washington 2,998
- Iowa 2,498
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for Designated Community Residents
The Designated Community Resident category had 87,230 qualified certifications at 3.96% overall. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Washington DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had no qualifying tax credits for this category.
- Texas 10,150
- Iowa 5,814
- Maryland 5,565
- North Dakota 5,328
- West Virginia 5,150
- California 4,542
- Mississippi 4,523
- Kentucky 4,352
- Michigan 4,154
- Minnesota 3,979
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for SSI Recipients
The SSI Recipient category had 73,174 qualified certifications at 3.54% overall.
- California 7,782
- Ohio 5,701
- Michigan 4,728
- Georgia 4,052
- North Carolina 3,874
- Pennsylvania 3,827
- Texas 3,720
- Indiana 3,241
- Minnesota 3,214
- Maryland 2,827
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for Long Term Unemployment Recipients
The Long Term Unemployment category received 4.67% of all certifications for a total of 96,506 certifications. Vermont, Connecticut and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not report any Long-Term Unemployment certifications.
- California 20,952
- Illinois 10,595
- New Jersey 10,028
- Pennsylvania 6,194
- Texas 5,320
- Mississippi 4,565
- Maryland 3,877
- New York 3,042
- Georgia 2,995
- Washington 2,284
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for Vocational Rehabilitation:
The Vocational Rehabilitation category had 57,126 qualified certifications at 2.76% overall. Washington DC, Alaska and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not report any Vocational Rehabilitation certifications.
- Michigan 31,799
- Texas 6,056
- Florida 1,869
- North Carolina 1,833
- Pennsylvania 1,539
- Ohio 1,144
- South Carolina 1,078
- Wisconsin 932
- New York 911
- Missouri 2844
State with most WOTC Tax Credits for Ticket-to-Work Holders:
The Ticket Holder category had 5,233 qualified certifications at 0.25% overall. Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, California, Louisiana, Washington, New Jersey, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Alaska and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not report any Ticket-to-Work certifications.
- Massachusetts 762
- Georgia 734
- Pennsylvania 645
- Minnesota 382
- New York 276
- Oregon 242
- Ohio 236
- South Carolina 210
- North Carolina 191
- Iowa 179
States with most WOTC Tax Credits for Summer Youth:
The Summer Youth category was the smallest WOTC category with just 370 qualified certifications at 0.02% of the total overall.
- Mississippi 72
- Missouri 40
- Oklahoma 29
- Maine 28
- Kentucky 26
- Maryland 21
- California 19
- California 18
- New York 17
- Minnesota 15
View WOTC Statistics from 2014-2019 by State:
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