Arizona gets score of 78 on financial transparency

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Budget007

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Arizona earned above-average marks for its system of making annual budgetary data available to residents, according to a study by the Chicago-based policy institute Truth in Accounting (TIA).

The state’s score of 78 is above the U.S. average of 73.3. TIA’s scores ranged from a low of 44 to a high of 85. Arizona  ranked No. 22 in the nation for its efforts at providing timely, comprehensive financial data to citizens in a user-friendly way on the internet. 

In awarding the grades, TIA’s analysis considered whether the state data was posted online within about three months of the end of the state’s fiscal year, whether states hired independent auditors to review their numbers and whether pension debts are included in the annual fiscal report.

The 15 states that hire independent auditors to analyze their financial reports are Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming, according to the study.

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State’s Financial Transparency Scores

RankStateFinancial Transparency Score
1Utah85
2Washington84
3West Virginia83
4Virginia83
5South Dakota83
6Idaho82
7North Dakota82
8Alaska81
9Georgia81
10Indiana81
11New Hampshire81
12Pennsylvania81
13Oregon81
14Hawaii80
15Iowa80
16Maine80
17Nevada80
18New York80
19Mississippi80
20Tennessee79
21Wyoming79
22Arizona78
23South Carolina78
24Delaware77
25Kansas77
26Florida76
27Maryland76
28Kentucky74
29Michigan74
30Minnesota74
31Colorado74
32Texas74
33Alabama74
34Wisconsin74
35North Carolina73
36Ohio73
37Oklahoma73
38California72
39Illinois72
40New Jersey71
41Missouri65
42Louisiana62
43Nebraska61
44Rhode Island55
45Vermont53
46Massachusetts52
47Montana 52
48Arkansas50
49New Mexico50
50Connecticut44

U.S. average73
Source: Truth in Accounting

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