Fiscal & Economic Policy

Live in Denver: Join Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper on Oct. 14 as he kicks off a series of discussions on evidence-based governing, with a special focus on election administration and tax incentives. Read More

Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis, an interactive resource from The Pew Charitable Trusts, allows you to sort and analyze data on key fiscal, economic, and demographic trends in the 50 states and understand their impact on states’ fiscal health. Read More

Most states have thinner financial cushions now than they did heading into the Great Recession. Overall, states had enough money in general fund budget reserves in fiscal year 2007—just before the economic downturn—to run government operations for a median of 41.3 days. That compares with 31.6 days in fiscal 2015 and an estimated 29.2 days in fiscal 2016. Read More

Pew’s Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis presents 50-state data on key fiscal, economic, and demographic indicators and analyzes their impact on states’ long-term fiscal health. Drill down into state finances in five core areas. Read More

The U.S. employment rate for adults of prime working age rose during the 12 months that ended in June 2016, extending an uptrend that began more than four years earlier. But even with those gains, the percentage of 25- to 54-year-olds with a job in fiscal year 2016 clearly remained lower than in calendar year 2007, just before the Great Recession, nationally and in 18 states. Read More

Most states have thinner financial cushions now than they did heading into the Great Recession. Overall, states had enough money in general fund budget reserves in fiscal year 2007—just before the economic downturn—to run government operations for a median of 41.3 days. That compares with 31.6 days in fiscal 2015 and an estimated 29.2 days in fiscal 2016. Read More

Pew’s Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis presents 50-state data on key fiscal, economic, and demographic indicators and analyzes their impact on states’ long-term fiscal health. Drill down into state finances in five core areas. Read More

The U.S. employment rate for adults of prime working age rose during the 12 months that ended in June 2016, extending an uptrend that began more than four years earlier. But even with those gains, the percentage of 25- to 54-year-olds with a job in fiscal year 2016 clearly remained lower than in calendar year 2007, just before the Great Recession, nationally and in 18 states. Read More

Josh Goodman, an officer with Pew's state fiscal health and economic growth project, submitted testimony to the New York City Council’s Committee on Finance on Sept. 22. The testimony expressed support for legislation that would create a process for regular evaluation of the city's economic development tax incentives. Read More

When a state government faces a large expense, such as restoring an aging bridge or repairing a deteriorating highway, officials often choose to borrow the money to pay for the project. Distributing the cost of a large investment over many years helps governments in the same way a homeowner might take out a loan to replace a roof or finance a renovation—it frees up cash on hand to meet... Read More

Live in Denver: Join Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper on Oct. 14 as he kicks off a series of discussions on evidence-based governing, with a special focus on election administration and tax incentives. Read More

Every state uses financial incentives—often in the form of tax credits or cash grants—to encourage business growth and job creation. However, this economic development strategy has also led to serious budget challenges in many states. Read More

The American tradition of arguing about taxes is as old as the republic. This helps explain why leaders of both parties propose changes to the federal tax code on a nearly continuous basis. These changes are almost always characterized as reforms and are scrutinized for their impact on taxpayers and the federal budget. What often goes unnoticed is how tax reform on the federal level can cascade... Read More

We look forward to seeing you at the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists annual convention. Visit our booth in the exhibit hall (#420) to learn about careers at Pew and check out our panel of experts, who will discuss how to best use data to enhance your reporting. Read More

We look forward to seeing you at the NCSL Legislative Summit. Visit our booth in the exhibit hall (#929) to learn about our work across all 50 states, meet policy experts, and spin the wheel to find answers about your state’s fiscal health. Read More

Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis, an interactive resource from The Pew Charitable Trusts, allows you to sort and analyze data on key fiscal, economic, and demographic trends in the 50 states and understand their impact on states’ fiscal health. Read More

All dollar figures in millions. Parentheses indicate negative value. States attain positive amortization if they contribute more than 100 percent of the amortizationbenchmark. Data in 2014 reflect reporting under new accounting standards. Pension debt represents the net pension liability under the new GASB rules. The value ofplan assets is reported as net plan position. The funded ratio data for... Read More

Taxes and federal funds together account for more than three-quarters of the 50 states’ revenue dollars. In all but two states taxes are the largest revenue source, while federal funds are the second largest. Following is a breakdown of each state’s major categories of revenue, with percentages shown for taxes and federal funds. Read More

Some states have decided to allow unauthorized immigrants—those who do not have explicit permission from the U.S. government to reside in the country—to obtain driver’s licenses (also known by other names, such as driving privilege cards). Take our quiz and test your knowledge about this dynamic immigration policy issue. Answers are current as of March 2016. Read More

Each year, states collectively spend billions of dollars on economic development incentives. Are they worth the price? The answer isn't always obvious. By asking key questions, states can evaluate incentive programs and provide the evidence policymakers demand. Read More