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Steps Along Georgia’s Budget Path
By the Numbers
Georgia’s budget for FY 2024 directly affects the quality of life for all 11 million Georgians across the state’s many diverse communities. The lion’s share of that money is allocated to core investments in the state’s economic future, including education, health care and transportation. Here are some examples of the way the state budget impacts Georgians:
3 million+ Georgians who are seniors, disabled, children or parents with low incomes receive health care coverage and services through Medicaid and PeachCare. As the state redetermines eligibility for all Medicaid enrollees over the next fiscal year, an estimated 540,000 Georgians could lose their health coverage under these programs ($4.4 billion in the FY 2024 state budget).
1.74 million students, supported by 136,000 teachers and administrators, enroll in Georgia’s 2,300 K-12 public schools ($11.9 billion in the FY 2024 state budget).
430,000 students enroll in Georgia public colleges, universities or technical colleges ($4.9 billion in the FY 2024 state budget).
247,000 Georgians live under correctional control, including 175,000 on probation, 49,000 individuals who are incarcerated, 17,000 Georgians on parole and 6,000 youth in the Juvenile Justice system ($1.5 billion in the FY 2024 state budget).
18,000 miles of state highway are overseen by the Department of Transportation, which will also direct $201 million in FY 2024 to help maintain and improve over 100,000 miles of county roads and city streets ($2.3 billion total in the FY 2024 state budget).
Source: U.S. Census; Georgia Department of Community Health; Georgia Department of Corrections, June 2023 Average Counts; State Board of Pardons and Paroles, population under supervision as of January 2023; Georgia Department of Community Supervision, annual population as of January 2023; Georgia Department of Education; Georgia Department of Transportation, Fact Book; Board of Regents, University System of Georgia Semester Enrollment Report, 2022; Technical College System of Georgia, total enrollment Fall 2022.
