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.