Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for February 1, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
February 1, 2018: Forty-one U.S. states do not have enough money to pay their bills, and they have racked up a collective $1.5 trillion in unfunded liabilities.[1] Truth in Accounting reports that when all the liabilities are counted, only nine states have even a modest surplus.
The nine fiscally sound states are Alaska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Idaho, and Iowa.
New Jersey has the worst fiscal rating, with unfunded liabilities of $67,200 per taxpayer. Illinois is second, with unfunded liabilities of $50,400 per taxpayer. It is perhaps no coincidence that people are more likely to move out of these states than any others.[2]
Three other states top $30,000 in unfunded obligations per taxpayer—Connecticut, Kentucky, and Massachusetts. These three are also near the top in terms of people leaving (Connecticut ranks fourth, Kentucky eighth, and Massachusetts sixth).
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- January 31, 2018 – 42 percent of eligible Mexican immigrants have become U.S. citizens
- January 30, 2018 – 50 years ago today, the Tet Offensive began in Vietnam
- January 29, 2018 – 39 percent of Americans have strong religious affiliation, little changed since 1980s
- January 26, 2018 – 22,169 dollars: average state and local taxes paid by New Yorkers who itemize their deductions
- January 25, 2018 – 6.5 percent of private sector workers belong to a labor union
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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