In 2015 i made $17,000 and in 2016 i made $24,000. Why am i getting a lower return this year if i made more money and probably paid more taxes?

[TomD8]

No one here can see your tax return, so it's impossible to give you a specific answer.  Double-check your return for math errors.  Or print last year's and this year's returns and compare them side-by-side.  That can sometimes reveal an error (if there is one).

Tax refunds are strictly a function of taxes paid vs taxes owed.   If there is no error in your tax return, you might want to adjust your withholding at work.