Citizen Budgets: A tool for more inclusive and meaningful civic engagement
In an era of fragmented media and declining institutional trust, local officials often struggle to convey the importance and the value-for-money of the public services they provide. This struggle includes how they inform their constituents how revenues are raised, spent, and what services they deliver.
How much does Virginia spend compared to other states?
Once every five years, the U.S. Census Bureau does a comprehensive survey of state and local government finances in all states. Relying on this data set for 2022, and ranking states from the highest-spending state per person (Alaska) to the lowest-spending state (Idaho) results in the following diagram.
Please note: this website is currently under development. The content currently available is intended to demonstrate possible use cases for citizen-oriented public-sector analysis, data visualization, and government performance communication. As the platform evolves, additional data, tools, features, and explanatory content will be added.