U.S. states saw their tax revenue drop by about $31 billion, or 6 percent, from March through August, compared to the same period a year earlier, as the pandemic triggered economic shutdowns across the country, according to data from 44 states compiled by the Urban Institute.
The scale of the drop appears smaller than expected, relative to the depth of the economic contraction, and comes after several states have reported that their revenue didn’t decline as much as anticipated despite business shutdowns and increased unemployment. In August, when much of the country was reopening, state revenue climbed about 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the Urban Institute found.
Emelie Fritz is workplace well-being director at Lifesum, where she works at the intersection of health, behaviour change and workplace culture. She regularly comments on employee wellbeing, workplace trends and the habits shaping how people live, work and perform. Through her work, she helps organisations, including GE and PayPal, better understand the relationship between health, productivity and long-term well-being.
Tatum Fish is a strategic value architect at Cytora specializing in helping insurance organizations translate technology investments into measurable business outcomes. With experience spanning automation, AI, API enablement, and digital transformation, she works closely with carriers to align technology capabilities with operational priorities and long-term growth strategies. Tatum is passionate about bridging the gap between business and technology, helping organizations modernize processes, improve connectivity, and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies across the insurance value chain.
Dr. Viroshan Naicker is co-founder and CEO of Refiant. A mathematician by training, he holds a doctorate from the University of Johannesburg and lectured for six years before moving into industry. He co-founded Refiant in 2025 on the conviction that large models are inefficient by design and that better methods already exist in nature.
The tax figures come as Republicans in Washington balk at extending aid to states and cities to help cover budget deficits that are expected to continue as the coronavirus weighs on the economy. Experts say that states’ financial outlooks could worsen as the effects of the stimulus bill fade and high unemployment reduces tax bills next year.
The August increase should be viewed with caution since income-tax deadlines were pushed back to July, which could have resulted in some revenue being processed later, according to Lucy Dadayan, senior research associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Personal income-tax collections, which rose 3.8 percent in August, were in some cases supported by backlogged unemployment insurance benefits subject to withholding tax, Dadayan said.
Between March and August, tax revenues fell 6.4 percent year over year, with 36 states reporting declines over that period, the report said. Between March and August, eight states, including Washington and Georgia, reported growth in tax revenue.
“Due to the shifting in timing of tax receipts this past year, it is crucial to view August year-over-year revenue gains and fiscal year to date data with caution,” Dadayan said in the report.