A Florida study compared the total benefits in each of four income classes in 1967-68. Only in the top income class did the governmental expenditures exceed the costs they incurred via taxes. They received 60% more than they paid, while the bottom two income brackets paid 40% more than they got back. The middle class paid nearly 20% more.

Government subsidies for higher education provably help the wealthiest. The gap is partly because the children from the most advantaged backgrounds are the most likely to attend college.