State budgets are more than numbers. They reflect priorities, challenges, and history. These summaries of each state’s finances, politics, economics, and demographics can help you prepare for policy debates.
State and Local Finance Data: Exploring the Census of Governments
This interactive tool provides easy access to state and local public finance data, primarily from the US Census Bureau’s Census of Governments and its associated annual survey. Explore state and local revenue, spending, and debt from 1977 through 2019. Pick the data you'd like to see, choose options to filter your search, and download your results.
The State Economic Monitor tracks and analyzes economic and fiscal trends at the state level. Its interactive graphics highlight differences across all 50 states and the District of Columbia in employment, earnings, housing, and state GDP.
Because the State and Local Finance Initiative regularly collects fiscal data from all 50 states and updates older official statistics to reflect actual state numbers, we are the only source for a range of accurate, up-to-date information on state fiscal performance. Subscribe to gain direct access to various datasets. State government fiscal agencies can subscribe free of charge. All subscriptions include data access for 12 months from the purchase date.
Backgrounders on a range of expenditure and revenue topics provide brief explanations that can help policymakers, media, and citizens navigate important state and local issues.
What Everyone Should Know About Their State's Budget
Why do some states spend more on prisons than on public higher education? Why do others spend less on K–12 education than on Medicaid? In this tool, you’ll see the spending per capita breakdown for all states and the District of Columbia across all major functional categories. It allows you to see how each state ranks, and you can sort by any factor you choose.
How the COVID-19 Pandemic is Transforming State Budgets
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting volatility have dramatically reshaped state economies and budgets. We collect health, economic, and fiscal data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia to show how each individual state has changed during this time.