Query Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports from counties across the country
Tens of thousands of local governments prepare audited financial statements each year. Generally, they look like this:
https://www.miamidade.gov/finance/library/cafr2021-complete.pdf
ACFRs are PDFs with hundreds of pages, detailing everything from outstanding bonds, construction projects, and projected taxation rates. And buried deep within these PDFs, you can find tables that look like the following:
These net position statements detail some of the most important details on the financial health of a municipality. Net position statements tell you about pension liabilities, their debt load, investments, and more. This information can be used to determine the government’s overall financial strength and stability, and are a key factor in the interest rates they pay when issuing debt.