Fiscal & Economic Policy

In Alaska, 2012 was a very good year. The state is heavily dependent on severance taxes, which are levied on extraction of natural resources. And Alaska has one natural resource in abundance: oil. With the price of oil on the rise, total revenue grew by 27 percent that year—which helped the state increase its rainy day fund to an amount more than double the state's annual budget, making it... Read More

Hawaii is the latest state to require regular analysis of the potential impact of future economic swings on its public pension funds. Known as stress testing, such calculations can help states monitor the fiscal strength and sustainability of these funds. Read More

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence, with assistance from the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, in 2016 collected a range of data on how major state pension systems communicate financial, benefit, and governance information to their members and other parties. The importance of complete, clear, and timely reporting of pension plan information and... 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

The U.S. employment rate for adults of prime working age rose during the 12 months that ended in June 2017, yet remained clearly lower than in 2007, just before the Great Recession. Reflecting the national trend, the percentage of 25- to 54-year-olds with a job was clearly lower in 15 states. Read More

Hawaii is the latest state to require regular analysis of the potential impact of future economic swings on its public pension funds. Known as stress testing, such calculations can help states monitor the fiscal strength and sustainability of these funds. Read More

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence, with assistance from the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, in 2016 collected a range of data on how major state pension systems communicate financial, benefit, and governance information to their members and other parties. The importance of complete, clear, and timely reporting of pension plan information and... Read More

The U.S. employment rate for adults of prime working age rose during the 12 months that ended in June 2017, yet remained clearly lower than in 2007, just before the Great Recession. Reflecting the national trend, the percentage of 25- to 54-year-olds with a job was clearly lower in 15 states. 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

Despite the nation’s slow but steady economic recovery, combined state tax collections dropped in 2016, after adjusting for inflation. Flat or falling revenue increased budget pressures in many states. Even so, tax collections as of the fourth quarter were higher nationally and in 32 states than they were before plunging during the Great Recession. Read More

In Alaska, 2012 was a very good year. The state is heavily dependent on severance taxes, which are levied on extraction of natural resources. And Alaska has one natural resource in abundance: oil. With the price of oil on the rise, total revenue grew by 27 percent that year—which helped the state increase its rainy day fund to an amount more than double the state's annual budget, making it... Read More

We look forward to seeing you at the NCSL Legislative Summit in Boston! Please visit Booth 545 in the exhibit hall to learn about The Pew Charitable Trusts’ work in all 50 states and meet policy experts on issues including fiscal and economic policy, public pensions, evidence-based policymaking, and health policy. Read More

Philadelphia: From engineering to public policy to the internet, human ingenuity and invention are constantly changing lives. Yet new knowledge—and innovative ways to live and work that are the result of technological change—also presents new dilemmas. On Wednesday, July 19, 2017 contributors to The Pew Charitable Trusts’ latest issue of Trend magazine discussed how modern... Read More

Policymakers in Washington are working out the details of a potential tax reform proposal. The last major overhaul of the federal tax code was the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which had a significant—and often forgotten—impact on state tax policy and revenue.  Read More

To minimize the need for uncomfortable choices between raising taxes or cutting spending, 48 states have created budget stabilization funds—rainy day funds—that take advantage of boom times by directing surplus revenue into savings that can offset future shortfalls. However, many of these funds lack rules to effectively smooth the ups and downs in revenue. Designing a robust fund, and... 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

Taxes and federal funds together account for 81 percent of revenue for the 50 states. Taxes are the largest revenue source in 46 states, while federal funds are greatest in three. But neither is the primary contributor to government coffers in one state: Alaska. This infographic displays a breakdown of each state's revenue, by major categories. Read More

Taxes make up about half of state government revenue, with the bulk coming from levies on personal income and general sales of goods and services. Broad-based personal income taxes are the greatest source of tax dollars in 28 of the 41 states that impose them, with the highest share—69.6 percent—in Oregon. General sales taxes are the largest source in 17 of the 45... Read More

In this animated video, learn about the Results First Initiative, which, since 2011, has partnered with states and counties across the country to help them incorporate the use of evidence in their budgeting and policymaking processes—helping to improve outcomes and make the most of limited resources. Read More

Download the data (XLS)Download the infographic (PDF) Read More