A FEW STATES HAVE RUN PERSISTENT DEFICITS PRIOR TO COVID-19

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.