Unaccountable and Unaffordable, 2020

Our latest edition of this report finds that unfunded state pension liabilities total $5.82 trillion or $17,748 for every man, woman and child in the United States. State governments are obligated, often by contract and state constitutional law, to make these pension payments regardless of economic conditions. As these pension payments continue to grow, revenue that would have gone to essential services like public safety and education, or tax relief, goes to paying off these liabilities instead.