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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chicago, IL vs Tucson, AZ

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Chicago spends 119.2% more per capita than Tucson ($18,792/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Tucson
Total Spending
$94.0B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$15,759
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$23,276
Total Debt
$2.7B
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,540
Population
2,721,914
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Tucson$1,229
Health
Chicago$426
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoTucson
Property Tax
$26
$5
Sales Tax
$74
$309
Income Tax
$229
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$4,534
Other
$3,463
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoTucson
Fire Protection
$10,754
$330
Highways & Roads
$930
$0
Public Welfare
$1,858
$1,181
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,229
Housing
$6,520
$3,091
Sewerage
$129
$0
Utilities
$2,983
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,735
Other
$9,385
$3,322
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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