The United States’ water infrastructure is aging. Federal surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022 found that the country’s drinking and clean water systems will need more than $1.2 trillion in repairs, maintenance, and upgrades over the next two decades. The bulk of this investment will be financed at the local level through higher water rates, which have not kept pace with rising operations and maintenance costs.
The share of states’ total revenue coming from federal funds declined again in fiscal year 2024, continuing a drop from pandemic-era peaks. The decrease largely reflects an uptick in state-generated revenue—particularly from taxes and other funds—alongside the phaseout of federal COVID-19 aid. Looking ahead, the federal share is likely to remain below pandemic highs, although changes in federal policy and fluctuations in state tax collections could swing it in either direction.
Federal funds have consistently played an important role in state budgets, accounting for more than a third of state revenue in recent years. However, recent changes in federal priorities—including funding pauses and spending reductions—have introduced uncertainty about how and to what extent federal funds support state programs and activities.
Tens of millions of Americans don’t have access to workplace retirement benefits, threatening their future financial security and burdening state budgets. In the last decade more than a dozen states and cities passed legislation establishing automated savings programs designed to help workers save for retirement. Also known as auto-IRAs, work and save, and secure choice, these programs allow small businesses to recruit and retain workers by offering a no-cost retirement benefit. And when workers are more financially secure, they are less reliant on taxpayer-funded government programs, better able to withstand financial shocks, and more likely to save for their future.
New Mexico made national headlines in the fall by announcing that it would become the first state to provide no-cost child care for all families. The state is expanding eligibility even as others are scaling back their child care ambitions and broader spending initiatives in the face of mounting budget pressures.
In one of the world’s most urbanized coastal environments—the waters around Hong Kong—pressure from human activities is threatening the vulnerable Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, known locally as the Chinese white dolphin.
This year, more than 2 million Americans will hear the words "you have cancer." That's 5,500 people each day—about one every 15 seconds. And as upsetting as that phrase might be, even more distressing is the word that often comes next: chemotherapy.
Over the early decades of the 21st century, soccer has moved from the margins of the U.S. sports landscape into the mainstream. States and localities have been instrumental in shaping this expansion through stadium deals, land acquisitions, infrastructure investments, and community partnerships of varying size and scope. These efforts have helped grow soccer’s national profile, but they also have presented governments with a new set of fiscal risks.
For America's 250th, a look at lessons from our past, voices from our present, and how the power of nonpartisan problem-solving can bring us together.
On June 16, Pew announced the 2026 class of Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, and Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research. These researchers will receive multiyear grants and join a community of more than 1,000 scientists who are taking creative approaches to cancer biology, neuroscience, immunology, and more.
From drinking water to wildlife to history and adventure, rivers help shape life across the United States. Take the quiz to test your river knowledge.
After several years of planning, states and territories are receiving final approval of their plans for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a federal initiative that aims to connect all Americans to high-speed internet.
