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              Researh Sevice






State and Local Fiscal Conditions and

Economic Shocks



Updated June 10, 2020
Policymakers' attention to the current economic recesion has included its potential effect on state and
local governments. This Insight summarizes the underlying forces affecting state and local finances
following a negative economic shock, examines tools available to them in response to such forces, and
briefly discusses federal assistance offered in recent recessions.

State and Local Finances and Economic Shocks

State and local governments are an integral part of U.S. economic activity, with S3.7 trillion in 2017
spending (19% of GDP). Federal, state, and local government revenues tend to increase when the
economy is growing (as taxes are paid on increased economic output) and decrease when the economy is
not growing. Unlike at the federal level, state and local governments must routinely balance their
operating budgets, typically every one or two years. All else equal, state and local governments therefore
must offset reductions in revenues caused by negative economic shocks with increases in revenues,
reductions in spending, or a combination of the two.
Balanced budget requirements can limit state and local ability to meet increased spending program
demands during economic downturns. In contrast, the federal government has typically enacted larger
spending increases in response to economic shocks. Table 1 shows federal, state, and local spending
levels in the years leading up to and during the Great Recession. Measured as a share of economic output,
federal outlays were 21% larger during the period FY2009 through FY20 11 than during the FY2006-
FY2008 period. State and local operating expenditures rose by 8% over the same timeframe.

  Table I. Government Spending Before and During the Great Recession, FY2006-FY201 I
                                   (as a percentage of GDP)
                                         FY2006-FY2008               FY2009-FY201 I
 State and Local Operating Expenditures       13.9                        15.0
 Federal Expenditures                         19.6                        23.7
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Office of Management and Budget.

                                                              Congressional Research Service
                                                              https://crsreports.congress.gov
                                                                                  INI 1258

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