JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Matt Blunt announced recently that Missouri is one of only six states continuing to receive Standard and Poor’s highest bond rating. He said Missouri maintained its AAA bond rating as announced by S&P last week as a result of the state’s high level of reserves and strong financial management.

Standard and Poor’s AAA bond rating means that bonds issued by Missouri are judged to be of the highest quality by investors. These bonds also carry the smallest degree of investment risk. Standard and Poor’s is viewed as the authoritative source for state bond ratings.

According to the Standard and Poor’s report, the excellent general obligation bond rating reflects the "state's strong and diverse economic base; excellent financial management that is prepared to make deep midyear budget cuts in order to preserve balanced operations; strong reserves in the form of a budget reserve fund that can only be accessed under certain circumstances; and low debt burden...Missouri’s economy’s greatest strength is its diversity, which is based partly on the state’s location at the geographic center of the nation, which gives it an economic advantage in trade and manufacturing.”

Missouri is one of only six states with the highest bond rating according to S&P. The others include Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Utah and Virginia.

Go Back