Strengthening Local Fiscal Health
Local governments are essential to the nation’s prosperity—central to the quality of life, jobs, and long-term prospects of most Americans. Many cities and counties continue to face serious challenges, such as costly infrastructure needs and growing long-term liabilities.
Both state and local policymakers have a critical stake in ensuring that localities remain fiscally sound. By working together, state and local decision-makers can strengthen cities’ and counties’ long-term fiscal and economic well-being and generate opportunities for economic growth. To inform these critical conversations, Pew conducts research on the fiscal landscape of cities, best practices for proactively assessing local governments’ financial condition, and promising policy options to improve localities’ fiscal well-being.
Tax Limits Can Erode Local Fiscal Resiliency
Local Tax Limitations Can Hamper Fiscal Stability
How States Can Use Federal Stimulus Money Effectively
Incentive Evaluations Limit Fiscal Doubt and Improve Effectiveness
Our Work
MORE FROM PEW
Explore Pew’s new and improved
Fiscal 50 interactive
Your state's stats are more accessible than ever with our new and improved Fiscal 50 interactive:
- Maps, trends, and customizable charts
- 50-state rankings
- Analysis of what it all means
- Shareable graphics and downloadable data
- Proven fiscal policy strategies
Welcome to the new Fiscal 50
Key changes include:
- State pages that help you keep track of trends in your home state and provide national and regional context.
- Interactive indicator pages with highly customizable and shareable data visualizations.
- A Budget Threads feature that offers Pew’s read on the latest state fiscal news.