Sally Hodges-Copple
Posts by Sally Hodges-Copple
2026 Economic County Snapshots for North Carolina
The Economic County Snapshots are one of the NC Budget & Tax Center’s flagship annual publications. They provide key economic and social indicators from publicly available sources for all 100 counties in North Carolina, along with a comparison to state-level data, with measures for employment, poverty and income, affordable housing, health, education, and more. The…
North Carolina’s revenue forecast is a wake-up call
Last week, the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) and the General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division released their revised Consensus Revenue Forecast for the 2025-2027 biennium in North Carolina. The forecast is important because it tells lawmakers and the public how much revenue (or public dollars) is available to fund priorities in the current…
Latest news on what’s going on with the NC budget
Sign up for text updates here! 1:30 pm, Wednesday, April 1 Last week, Governor Stein requested that leaders in the NC General Assembly commit an additional $790 million to recovery efforts in Western NC from Hurricane Helene. The bulk of additional funding would come from the Stabilization and Inflation Reserve and the remaining balance in the Hurricane Helene Fund. If approved by the legislature, funds would be spent largely on infrastructure repairs and…
Tax Cuts First, Well-Being Last: How reckless state tax cuts undermined affordability and quality of life in North Carolina
When the North Carolina General Assembly started cutting state taxes in 2013, supporters of the cuts made lofty promises: Tax cuts would lead to economic growth and jobs … but less was said about whether those jobs would be good ones or whether prosperity would be widely shared. The state would be on fiscally responsible…
Slide deck: NC General Assembly Session Summary 2025
The NC General Assembly is done for the year. They missed the mark on addressing North Carolina’s priorities this session. Check out this slide deck summarizing the 2025 Long Session and where legislative leaders fell short. Download the PDF here.
North Carolina General Assembly should pause next year’s tax cuts and instead invest $1B in affordability priorities
Unless leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly change course before the end of the year, Jan. 1 will bring unhappy news for North Carolinians fed up with the rising cost of living. That’s the date that yet another round of state tax cuts goes into effect, with the personal income tax rate dropping to…
Mapping What’s at Stake: The Impact of SNAP on North Carolina’s Families and Local Economies
Every county in North Carolina benefits from federal food assistance. Each month, SNAP (aka food stamps) dollars flow into every community, helping families put food on the table and keep up with rising costs. They also keep local grocery stores open, support jobs, and strengthen local economies. That critical support is now at risk. Without…
Beyond the Census data: How policy shapes well-being in NC
In September 2025, the US Census Bureau released annual data on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage for 2024. This resource will walk you through key data points for North Carolina and the public policy choices that influence these outcomes. Poverty How high is the poverty rate in North Carolina? New data from the U.S….
Public Comment: Work First TANF State Plan
To: Allison W. Smith, Deputy Director Division of Social Services Economic and Family Services NC Department of Health and Human Services 2420 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-2420 From: NC Budget & Tax Center PO Box 25374 Durham, North Carolina, 27702 RE: Work First TANF State Plan Public Comments Dear Deputy Director Allison…
NC lawmakers haven’t passed a comprehensive state budget. What does that mean for me?
Two months into the new fiscal year and following the start of another school year, legislative leaders in North Carolina still haven’t passed a comprehensive state budget. Here’s what that means for you and your community. What happens if lawmakers don’t pass a budget? Does state government shut down? No. If lawmakers fail to pass…