Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council
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Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council

Justine Oliva

Rhode Island’s Road and Bridge Program: High Spending, Heavy Debt, Uneven Results

State Finance / By

Spending on bridges and roads represents one of Rhode Island’s most substantial capital commitments, with over $1 billion expended annually in combined state and federal revenues. Launched in 2016, the RhodeWorks program reduced the number of structurally deficient bridges in the state by nearly half through targeted spending. However, this concentrated focus came with trade-offs:

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Rhode Island Police and Fire Spending Very High and Growing

Municipal Finance / By

Rhode Island spends substantially more on police and fire protection than most states. Funded largely through local revenues, these expenditures are key drivers of the property tax burden of Rhode Island residents and businesses. The taxpayer burden varies considerably across communities, reflecting differences in how these services are delivered and wide variations in staffing, compensation,

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Rhode Island Labor Market Weakens in Q2 2026

Economic development, Economic Indicators / By

PROVIDENCE, RI – – Rhode Island’s labor market weakened in the second quarter of 2026, with a sharp decline in labor force participation and a substantial drop in the number of employed Rhode Islanders, according to the Rhode Island Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Quarterly Briefing released by the Center for Global and Regional Economic Studies

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Rhode Island’s Medicaid Trajectory

Budget, Expenditures, Human services, Medicaid, State Finance / By

State Policy and Rising Health Care Costs Push Spending Past Revenues Despite Declining Enrollments Under New Federal Restrictions Rhode Island’s Medicaid program represents the state’s largest public investment, representing over one-third of total state budget spending. Medicaid provides a critical safety net for nearly three in ten Rhode Islanders and fuels the state’s healthcare sector. However, sustaining this massive program poses a critical fiscal challenge.  RIPEC’s comprehensive

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Rhode Island’s K-12 System: High But Uneven Spending, Middling Results

Charter, Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Funding, Regionalization / By

Rhode Island’s large investment ($3.66 billion) in elementary and secondary education has not yielded correspondingly high levels of student outcomes.  Analyzing Rhode Island’s K-12 spending and outcomes, RIPEC’s new report finds that the Ocean State’s per pupil spending levels are 8th highest in the nation. The report also finds wide variation in spending and outcomes across the

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Rhode Island Property Taxes in FY 2026: Higher Increases and Growing Tax Shifts

Business Climate, Housing, Municipal Finance, Tax Policy / By

Rhode Island Property Tax Update Higher Tax Increases in FY 2026 Burdens Continue to Shift to Businesses and Renters In FY 2026, about one in five municipalities exceeded the state-mandated 4.0 percent levy cap, andoverall property tax increases were higher than at any point in the last decade. As these increasestake hold, landlords, renters, and

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Rhode Island’s Housing Strategy: High Costs, High Subsidies, Low Returns

Budget, Expenditures, Housing, State Finance / By

Rhode Island’s Housing Strategy Rhode Island’s housing policies are in transition, moving from fragmented governance and historical underinvestment to a centralized strategy backed by record levels of capital directed toward housing production and preservation. Despite these historic outlays, policies that drive up production costs and subsidies have resulted in the production of relatively few housing

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Rhode Island Labor Market Continues to Soften Despite Strong Consumer Demand in Q1 2026

Economic development, Economic Indicators / By

PROVIDENCE, RI – Despite positive consumer demand, several of Rhode Island’s key economic indicators weakened in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Rhode Island Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Quarterly Briefing released today by the Center for Global and Regional Economic Studies at Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC). Employment—reflecting

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The Economic Risks of Rhode Island’s Millionaire’s Tax Proposal

Budget, Expenditures, Revenues, State Finance, Tax Policy, Taxation / By

Rhode Island’s Millionaire’s Tax Proposal The Economic Risks of Becoming Less Competitive and Losing Taxpayers Governor Daniel J. McKee has proposed adding a fourth income tax bracket in his FY 2027 budget, which would tax income over $1.0 million at 8.99 percent—a 50 percent increase over the current 5.99 percent top rate. RIPEC’s analysis  finds

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Rhode Island’s Economic Prosperity Scorecard

Economic development, Economic Indicators / By

Rhode Island’s Economic Prosperity Scorecard Rhode Island’s Economic Prosperity Scorecard provides a data-driven snapshot of the financial well-being of the state’s residents and the health of its economy.  Utilizing a set of widely used federal economic data, the Scorecard compares Rhode Island to the U.S. overall and to other states, with a particular focus on neighboring

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