Arizona ranked No. 21 in a study of the state’s ability to pay all of its bills, including public employers’ pension benefits, according to a new ranking of the states’ fiscal health by Truth in Accounting (TIA).
Arizona was found to have less than what’s required to pay its bills, according to the analysis by TIA, which is a Chicago-based nonprofit that reports on fiscal data from state and local governments.
The amount of the state’s shortfall of funds to pay off its bills amounts to $4,500 per taxpayer, the study found.
The TIA gave the state a financial grade of “C.”
---
State Rankings on Fiscal Health
| Rank | State | Money Needed / Available to Pay Bills (in billions) | Per-Taxpayer Debt / Surplus | Financial Grade |
| 1 | Alaska | $16.3 | $56,500 | A |
| 2 | North Dakota | $7.1 | $24,900 | A |
| 3 | Wyoming | $4.0 | $19,600 | A |
| 4 | Utah | $3.9 | $4,400 | B |
| 5 | South Dakota | $0.9 | $3,100 | B |
| 6 | Idaho | $1.3 | $2,700 | B |
| 7 | Tennessee | $5.0 | $2,500 | B |
| 8 | Nebraska | $1.2 | $1,800 | B |
| 9 | Oregon | $1.4 | $1,000 | B |
| 10 | Iowa | $0.5 | $500 | B |
| 11 | Florida | -$11.6 | -$1,800 | C |
| 12 | Virginia | -$5.4 | -$1,900 | C |
| 13 | Indiana | -$5.7 | -$2,700 | C |
| 14 | Montana | -$1.1 | -$3,300 | C |
| 14 | Oklahoma | -$3.2 | -$2,900 | C |
| 16 | Nevada | -$3.1 | -$3,300 | C |
| 17 | Arkansas | -$2.9 | -$3,600 | C |
| 18 | Wisconsin | -$8.0 | -$3,900 | C |
| 19 | Georgia | -$11.1 | -$3,900 | C |
| 20 | Missouri | -$7.9 | -$4,100 | C |
| 21 | Arizona | -$8.8 | -$4,500 | C |
| 22 | Minnesota | -$9.7 | -$4,700 | C |
| 23 | New Hampshire | -$2.9 | -$5,400 | D |
| 24 | Maine | -$3.5 | -$7,500 | D |
| 24 | Ohio | -$30.7 | -$7,700 | D |
| 25 | Kansas | -$7.0 | -$7,600 | D |
| 27 | North Carolina | -$24.3 | -$8,100 | D |
| 28 | Washington | -$23.0 | -$8,700 | D |
| 29 | New Mexico | -$5.1 | -$9,000 | D |
| 30 | West Virginia | -$4.9 | -$9,500 | D |
| 31 | Colorado | -$19.3 | -$9,800 | D |
| 32 | Texas | -$82.2 | -$10,100 | D |
| 33 | Mississippi | -$8.3 | -$11,300 | D |
| 34 | Alabama | -$15.2 | -$11,800 | D |
| 35 | Rhode Island | -$5.5 | -$14,500 | D |
| 36 | Louisiana | -$19.7 | -$15,500 | D |
| 37 | Maryland | -$34.6 | -$16,000 | D |
| 38 | Michigan | -$53.0 | -$16,600 | D |
| 39 | South Carolina | -$26.2 | -$18,100 | D |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | -$82.1 | -$18,800 | D |
| 41 | Vermont | -$4.7 | -$20,100 | F |
| 42 | New York | -$143.0 | -$21,500 | F |
| 43 | California | -$269.9 | -$22,000 | F |
| 44 | Delaware | -$10.0 | -$30,400 | F |
| 45 | Hawaii | -$15.6 | -$31,600 | F |
| 46 | Massachusetts | -$86.9 | -$33,500 | F |
| 47 | Kentucky | -$50.3 | -$39,200 | F |
| 48 | Illinois | -$216.1 | -$50,800 | F |
| 49 | Connecticut | -$69.8 | -$53,400 | F |
| 50 | New Jersey | -$195.5 | -$61,400 | F |