A new study has found that American cities are facing a staggering bill of over $1 trillion to repair their crumbling infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and buildings. The research, which examined data from 2,000 metropolitan areas, highlights the growing burden of aging structures that remain in use despite being well past their prime.
Study Details and Cost Estimates
Municipal researcher Richard Ciccarone, who conducted the study, estimates the total cost at $1.03 trillion. The findings were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which obtained an early copy of the report. The study identifies Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Milwaukee as the cities facing the greatest financial challenges in fixing their decaying infrastructure.
The funding gap is partly attributed to a 2014 rule from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board that classified pensions as a liability. This forced many cities to add hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to their balance sheets, leading to higher taxes, reduced services, and lower municipal bond prices. Municipal bonds are typically used to finance large infrastructure projects without raising taxes.
Delayed Repairs and Budget Priorities
According to Ciccarone, many cities postpone improvements to roads, bridges, and other structures to close budget gaps and avoid tax increases. Pension and debt payments often take precedence over repairs. "You're hiding an obligation that's got to be made sooner or later, and it's usually more expensive at that point," he told the Journal.
Philadelphia is considering spending $1.5 billion over the next six years on infrastructure improvements, with an additional $20 billion expected from state and federal governments. Baltimore is in the midst of a 10-year spending plan that includes significant repairs, a city spokesperson confirmed.
Methodology and Limitations
To arrive at the $1.03 trillion figure, Ciccarone analyzed the age and intended lifespan of buildings and infrastructure across 2,000 cities. He calculated depreciation by multiplying the original cost of an asset by the proportion of its "useful life" that had passed, then adjusted for inflation. For example, a $100 million tunnel halfway through its expected life would show $50 million in wear and tear, plus inflation. However, actual repair costs may be lower, and some structures may last longer than predicted.
The study does not always account for how well a structure continues to perform, even if it is past its peak.
Broader Infrastructure Challenges
The issue extends beyond the cities studied. In South Carolina, lawmakers remain deadlocked over measures to improve pothole-filled roads. In Waterford Township, Michigan, residents are pleading for officials to fix the roads. A recent Consumer Affairs report named New Mexico as the state with the worst road conditions, followed by Mississippi, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Oklahoma.
America's infrastructure earned a C grade in the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2025 Report Card, up from a C- in 2021. While the improvement is partly due to repairs funded by former President Joe Biden's 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided $550 billion, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which added $30 billion for clean energy projects, the ASCE estimates that $9.1 trillion is needed to bring the nation's infrastructure up to date.
"America's infrastructure is the foundation on which our national economy, global competitiveness, and quality of life depend," said Darren Olson, chair of ASCE's Committee on America's Infrastructure. "When there are deficiencies, we all feel the impact."
