States’ Debts Total Over $4 Trillion October 25, 2011 Joseph Bishop-Henchman Joseph Bishop-Henchman A new report by State Budget Solutions’ Andrew Guevara estimates that states are $4 trillion in debt. Guevara adds outstanding state debt issues ($600.4 billion), unfunded pension obligations ($2.86 trillion), unfunded retiree health benefits ($606.8 billion), unemployment benefit loans from the federal government ($37.0 billion), and budget gaps ($133.0 billion). Below is a chart of the total debt by state: State Debt (thousands of $) Debt Per Capita Alabama $60,412,502 $12,639 Alaska $27,962,377 $39,371 Arizona $59,220,240 $9,265 Arkansas $25,020,643 $8,581 California $612,054,955 $16,429 Colorado $80,386,294 $15,984 Connecticut $99,751,147 $27,909 Delaware $14,424,923 $16,065 Florida $139,156,956 $7,401 Georgia $97,478,050 $10,062 Hawaii $36,310,406 $26,693 Idaho $11,953,729 $7,626 Illinois $280,595,828 $21,869 Indiana $38,710,138 $5,970 Iowa $25,989,741 $8,531 Kansas $28,538,211 $10,002 Kentucky $63,268,507 $14,580 Louisiana $63,084,841 $13,916 Maine $17,692,888 $13,319 Maryland $81,502,963 $14,117 Massachusetts $97,940,986 $14,958 Michigan $125,329,485 $12,680 Minnesota $70,806,990 $13,350 Mississippi $38,278,314 $12,900 Missouri $66,307,890 $11,072 Montana $9,533,441 $9,635 Nebraska $7,805,175 $4,274 Nevada $41,883,947 $15,509 New Hampshire $14,955,434 $11,360 New Jersey $281,544,674 $32,023 New Mexico $37,802,200 $18,358 New York $305,308,390 $15,755 North Carolina $97,376,318 $10,212 North Dakota $6,255,605 $9,301 Ohio $240,236,606 $20,824 Oklahoma $36,952,387 $9,850 Oregon $58,019,973 $15,145 Pennsylvania $147,788,481 $11,635 Rhode Island $19,497,824 $18,524 South Carolina $56,539,512 $12,224 South Dakota $6,585,256 $8,088 Tennessee $35,239,489 $5,553 Texas $282,558,281 $11,237 Utah $24,792,086 $8,970 Vermont $6,043,582 $9,658 Virginia $65,105,037 $8,137 Washington $83,215,274 $12,375 West Virginia $22,941,837 $12,381 Wisconsin $81,154,800 $14,270 Wyoming $6,992,094 $12,406 Total $4,238,306,708 $13,728 Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Center for State Tax Policy Business Taxes Individual and Consumption Taxes
