Prairie State Wire

Illinois’ revenues during the fiscal years 2005 to 2019 amounted to only 94.1% of the state’s total expenditures, putting Illinois in a group of only eight states with long-term negative fiscal balances, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts.

The state’s revenues-to-expenditures ratio ranked the second lowest, behind New Jersey, among the 50 states, the analysis found. The state registered a deficit for each of the 15 years analyzed in the Pew report.

Chronic budget shortfalls, such as those that have been occurring in Illinois, 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