Texas’ revenues during the fiscal years 2005 to 2019 amounted to 107.4% of the state’s total expenditures, putting Texas among the states with the strongest long-term budgeting records, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts.
The state’s revenues-to-expenditures ratio ranked the sixth highest, behind Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska, among the 50 states, the analysis found. Texas registered a deficit for just one of the 15 years analyzed in the Pew report.
Chronic budget shortfalls – the situation facing eight states – point to serious structural deficit problems that can’t be addressed without policy changes, the study said. The situation can ultimately lead to an unsustainable fiscal condition, according to the Pew report.
Nationwide, the median revenues-to-expenditures ratio for the states is 102.7%, the report states. The calculations are based on an analysis of audited comprehensive annual financial reports filed by the states.
The eight states with aggregate deficits for the 15-year period studied are putting the burdens of debt and unfunded retirement liabilities on future taxpayers, according to the report. Illinois and New Jersey were the only states with aggregate shortfalls of greater than 5%, the Pew report says.
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States’ Revenue as a Share of Expenses, FY 2005-19
| Rank | State | FY2005-2019 | Number of Years With a Deficit |
| 1 | New Jersey | 91.5% | 15 |
| 2 | Illinois | 94.1% | 15 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 96.2% | 10 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 97.2% | 10 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 98.4% | 11 |
| 6 | Maryland | 99.1% | 10 |
| 7 | New York | 99.5% | 10 |
| 8 | Delaware | 99.8% | 7 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 100.2% | 9 |
| 10 | California | 100.7% | 6 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 100.7% | 5 |
| 12 | Louisiana | 101.2% | 6 |
| 13 | Colorado | 101.5% | 4 |
| 14 | Michigan | 101.5% | 5 |
| 15 | Vermont | 101.7% | 2 |
| 16 | Missouri | 101.9% | 3 |
| 17 | Arkansas | 102.0% | 3 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 102.0% | 3 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 102.1% | 4 |
| 20 | Ohio | 102.1% | 2 |
| 21 | Kansas | 102.3% | 3 |
| 22 | Oregon | 102.3% | 5 |
| 23 | Georgia | 102.6% | 4 |
| 24 | New Mexico | 102.6% | 5 |
| 25 | Alabama | 102.7% | 2 |
| 26 | Washington | 102.7% | 3 |
| 27 | Maine | 103.0% | 3 |
| 28 | Virginia | 103.2% | 1 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 103.2% | 2 |
| 30 | Mississippi | 103.4% | 2 |
| 31 | Minnesota | 103.5% | 3 |
| 32 | Indiana | 103.6% | 4 |
| 33 | Iowa | 103.8% | 1 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 104.1% | 3 |
| 35 | Nevada | 104.4% | 3 |
| 36 | Arizona | 104.5% | 3 |
| 37 | Florida | 104.7% | 2 |
| 38 | Tennessee | 104.9% | 1 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 105.1% | 1 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | 105.2% | 2 |
| 41 | South Carolina | 105.6% | 1 |
| 42 | South Dakota | 105.7% | 1 |
| 43 | North Carolina | 106.1% | 1 |
| 44 | Idaho | 106.9% | 1 |
| 45 | Texas | 107.4% | 1 |
| 46 | Montana | 109.5% | 0 |
| 47 | Utah | 111.1% | 1 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 123.4% | 1 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 124.9% | 2 |
| 50 | Alaska | 135.0% | 3 |
| 50-state median | 102.7% | 2 |
Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts
