"(The Center Square) - Oklahoma is among the top ten best states financially, according to an analysis by think tank Truth in Accounting.
The state had an estimated $5.7 billion left over after paying all its bills, according to the report, which analyzes the fiscal health of all 50 states.
Oklahoma is one of 22 states with a taxpayer surplus of $5,200 per taxpayer. A taxpayer surplus is defined as "the amount of money left over after all of a state’s bills are paid, divided by the estimated number of taxpayers in the state."
The state released its annual financial report late. A report is timely if it is released within 180 days after the end of a fiscal year, according to the Government Finance Officers Association.
Oklahoma took 426 days to release its financial report. Due to this delay, data from fiscal year 2021 was used for Oklahoma in Truth in Accounting’s analysis.
Oklahoma had $17.6 billion available in fiscal year 2021 to pay $11.9 billion worth of bills, leaving the state with over $5 billion surplus. The state was among 18 that received a “B” grade, which is given to any government with a taxpayer surplus between $1 and $9,999, according to the report.
Only four states received an “A” – Alaska, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.
The state with the highest taxpayer surplus was Alaska, with $80,000 per taxpayer, the report said. New Jersey was the worst-performing state, with a taxpayer burden of $53,600."
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