What this measures: Truth in Accounting's annual assessment of how transparently each state reports its finances. Half the score (50 points) comes from receiving a clean audit opinion — states like Connecticut, Georgia, Delaware, and North Carolina lost major points for qualified or disclaimer audit opinions. New Mexico and West Virginia tied for first at 87/100. Overall, scores worsened across all 50 states compared to the prior year, driven by increased pension deferred items distorting balance sheets. California and Illinois had not published their 2024 reports by the research cutoff.