Title: It’s Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Headings: It’s Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure
POLICY FUTURES
It’s Time for States to Invest in Infrastructure
Investment in Public Infrastructure Is Falling, With Real Consequences
The Nation’s Infrastructure Needs Improvement
State and Local Governments Are the Primary Stewards of the Country’s Infrastructure
How States Pay for Infrastructure Projects
Infrastructure Spending Is Down Across Government
Investment in Public Infrastructure Fuels Economic Growth
Well-Targeted Public Investment in Infrastructure Improves
Private Productivity, Research Shows
Public Infrastructure Investment Can Spur Job Growth
Investment in Public Infrastructure Can Improve a State’s Quality of Life, the Environment, and Opportunity
It’s Time for States to Invest More in Infrastructure
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Content: They own over 90 percent of non-defense public infrastructure assets, [9] and although the federal government assists in the building and maintenance of these assets, state and local governments pay 75 percent of the cost of maintaining and improving them. [ 10] (See Figure 2.) States and localities spend the vast majority of their capital dollars — 85 percent — on key building blocks of a state’s economy: schools, transportation, and drinking water treatment and distribution. ( See Table 1.) Not surprisingly, current investment varies significantly by state, based on factors like the size and population density of a state or the age of existing infrastructure. But some differences result from the willingness of the state to identify and fund needed investments. Overall, investments have been declining as needs have risen. Figure 3 shows the portion of total state