Key Points:
- Lawmakers are contemplating providing financial assistance to state and local governments in the next stimulus bill.
- Most states balanced budgets or ran surpluses. Some, however, did not.
- The map shows how many annual budget deficits each state ran between 2009 and 2018. The data predate anything related to COVID-19.
- Persistent deficits as well as unforeseeable events contribute to a state’s fiscal situation.
- 2018 is the most recent year for which comprehensive state budget data are available.