How Nebraska Ranks

A grade given to a state government by a credit rating agency that expresses its opinion about a government's ability to meet its financial obligations in full and on time. Each of the two credit rating agencies (Moody's and Standard & Poor's) give letter designations to indicate a state government's credit worthiness. An AAA is the highest rating given by S&P and indicates the extremely strong capacity to meeting financial commitments.

The cash reserve or amount of money (as a percent of expenditures) that the government sets aside to deal with budget shortfalls in years where revenues do not match expenditures.