Blog: USDataLabs

How has state government spending and revenue changed from 2017 to 2022? Changes in revenue and spending can be a key indicator of state priorities for the size and scope of government, as well as a state’s overall health and economic output....

In 2023, the United States Patent Office issued 159,880 patents for American inventors, according to US DataLabs. That number was roughly half of all U.S. patents granted. One sixth of the patents granted were filed by Japanese inventors; Chinese and Korean inventors...

Massachusetts is in an affordable housing crisis. The median home price across the state was $629,500 in December 2024, up 9.15 percent from $576,700 in December 2023. The median home price across the U.S. was $427,728 in December 2024.  

With Boston projected to lose about $1.4 billion in commercial property tax revenue over the next five years, the city's new budget is less about growth and more about long-term stability.

Public employee pensions contribute to national savings, representing 21 percent of retirement assets according to the Urban Institute. These pensions help public workers plan and live out retirement, especially the 97 percent of Massachusetts government employees who do not earn Social Security benefits through their current job.

Once seen as a city upon a hill, Massachusetts, the first state with a public viewing gallery for its Legislature faces persistent concerns about lack of government transparency. Data on Statements of Financial Interest (SFIs) from US DataLabs highlights those concerns and emphasizes the need for accountability. 

Researchers are predicting revenue shortfalls for the City of Boston due to the collapse in office values. Boston’s budget continues to grow, making it crucial to understand how revenue will keep up.

The gap between the energy Massachusetts produces and the amount it consumes results in a reliance on out-of-state energy sources, making the Commonwealth vulnerable to price volatility and supply disruptions. While consumer prices continue to rise, clean energy production provides an avenue for the state to be more energy self-sufficient.

At first glance, Massachusetts appears to be a national model for criminal justice reform, boasting both the nation’s lowest incarceration rate and a low crime rate. However, a deeper look at the numbers in US DataLabs reveals a surprising paradox: Massachusetts also has one of the highest rates of life sentences in the country—and leads the nation in the percentage of life sentences without parole. 

A system that offers voters limited electoral choice has the potential to undermine democracy. When candidates don’t face primary opponents or general election challengers, it is harder to hold them accountable to the will of voters. The lack of political competition can have broader implications: when compromise becomes scarce, governance suffers.