Wyatt earp
Diamond Member
- Apr 21, 2012
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Damn blue states are worse then I thought..
State Fiscal Rankings
The fiscal health of America’s states affects all its citizens. Indicators of fiscal health come in a variety of forms—from a state’s ability to attract businesses and how much it taxes to what services it provides and how well it keeps its promises to public-sector employees. To get a sense of a particular state’s fiscal outlook requires consulting a state’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), which, at hundreds of pages, is unwieldy for even the most dedicated analyst. But in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University’s “Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition,” now in its fourth year, Eileen Norcross and Olivia Gonzalez calculate indicators of fiscal health for all 50 states. Based on states’ 2015 financial statements, Florida ranks first as the most fiscally healthy state, while New Jersey ranks the lowest.
The study ranks each US state’s financial health based on short- and long-term debt and other key fiscal obligations, such as unfunded pensions and healthcare benefits. With refinements in its methodology, the 2017 edition updates the version that the Mercatus Center published in 2016. It presents information from each state’s audited financial report in an easily accessible format and is the most comprehensive snapshot of state financial health to date.
Summary and Key Findings
The financial health of each state can be analyzed through the states’ own audited financial reports. By looking at states’ basic financial statistics on revenues, expenditures, cash, assets, liabilities, and debt, states may be ranked according to how easily they will be able to cover short-term and long-term bills, including pension obligations.
This ranking of the 50 states, reproduced from page 29 of the study, is based on their fiscal solvency in five separate categories:
Top Five States
Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming rank in the top five states. Top-performing states tend to have higher levels of cash, low unfunded pensions, and strong operating positions.
Bottom Five States
Maryland, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey rank in the bottom five states, largely a result of the low amounts of cash they have on hand and their large debt obligations. States that fail to address long-term drivers of debt and are not prepared for recessions will continue to rank poorly.
Condition 2017 Edition
All States
State Fiscal Rankings
The fiscal health of America’s states affects all its citizens. Indicators of fiscal health come in a variety of forms—from a state’s ability to attract businesses and how much it taxes to what services it provides and how well it keeps its promises to public-sector employees. To get a sense of a particular state’s fiscal outlook requires consulting a state’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), which, at hundreds of pages, is unwieldy for even the most dedicated analyst. But in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University’s “Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition,” now in its fourth year, Eileen Norcross and Olivia Gonzalez calculate indicators of fiscal health for all 50 states. Based on states’ 2015 financial statements, Florida ranks first as the most fiscally healthy state, while New Jersey ranks the lowest.
The study ranks each US state’s financial health based on short- and long-term debt and other key fiscal obligations, such as unfunded pensions and healthcare benefits. With refinements in its methodology, the 2017 edition updates the version that the Mercatus Center published in 2016. It presents information from each state’s audited financial report in an easily accessible format and is the most comprehensive snapshot of state financial health to date.
Summary and Key Findings
The financial health of each state can be analyzed through the states’ own audited financial reports. By looking at states’ basic financial statistics on revenues, expenditures, cash, assets, liabilities, and debt, states may be ranked according to how easily they will be able to cover short-term and long-term bills, including pension obligations.
This ranking of the 50 states, reproduced from page 29 of the study, is based on their fiscal solvency in five separate categories:
- Cash solvency. Does a state have enough cash on hand to cover its short-term bills?
- Budget solvency. Can a state cover its fiscal year spending with current revenues, or does it have a budget shortfall?
- Long-run solvency. Can a state meet its long-term spending commitments? Will there be enough money to cushion it from economic shocks or other long-term fiscal risks?
- Service-level solvency. How much “fiscal slack” does a state have to increase spending if citizens demand more services?
- Trust fund solvency. How large are each state’s unfunded pension and healthcare liabilities?
Top Five States
Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming rank in the top five states. Top-performing states tend to have higher levels of cash, low unfunded pensions, and strong operating positions.
Bottom Five States
Maryland, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey rank in the bottom five states, largely a result of the low amounts of cash they have on hand and their large debt obligations. States that fail to address long-term drivers of debt and are not prepared for recessions will continue to rank poorly.
Condition 2017 Edition
All States
- ALABAMA (12)
- ALASKA (17)
- ARIZONA (33)
- ARKANSAS (20)
- CALIFORNIA (43)
- COLORADO (30)
- CONNECTICUT (37)
- DELAWARE (31)
- FLORIDA (1)
- GEORGIA (22)
- HAWAII (27)
- IDAHO (9)
- ILLINOIS (49)
- INDIANA (16)
- IOWA (28)
- KANSAS (32)
- KENTUCKY (47)
- LOUISIANA (44)
- MAINE (35)
- MARYLAND (46)
- MASSACHUSETTS (48)
- MICHIGAN (36)
- MINNESOTA (24)
- MISSISSIPPI (34)
- MISSOURI (11)
- MONTANA (10)
- NEBRASKA (6)
- NEVADA (14)
- NEW HAMPSHIRE (25)
- NEW JERSEY (50)
- NEW MEXICO (41)
- NEW YORK (39)
- NORTH CAROLINA (15)
- NORTH DAKOTA (2)
- OHIO (13)
- OKLAHOMA (7)
- OREGON (21)
- PENNSYLVANIA (45)
- RHODE ISLAND (38)
- SOUTH CAROLINA (19)
- SOUTH DAKOTA (3)
- TENNESSEE (8)
- TEXAS (23)
- UTAH (4)
- VERMONT (40)
- VIRGINIA (18)
- WASHINGTON (26)
- WEST VIRGINIA (42)
- WISCONSIN (29)
- WYOMING (5)
