Recent studies reveal that public pension benefits have positive effects on local and state economies. In 2006, state and local government retirement systems in the U.S. distributed over $100 billion more in benefits than they received in taxpayer-funded contributions, a figure that is growing each year. Personal income from state and local government pensions exceeds the personal income derived from the nation's farming, fishing, logging, and hotel/lodging industries combined. Together with the economic multiplier effect, in these and other ways, the aggregate economic impact of public pensions is considerable and reaches every city and town of every state. The resources listed below provide examples of this economic phenomenon.