Colorado Springs, CO vs Tucson, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tucson, AZ spends 19% more per resident than Colorado Springs, CO: $15,759 against $13,222. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Colorado Springs, CO edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Tucson, AZ carries the lighter load at $1,540 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 100% in Tucson, AZ.
Summary
Tucson spends 16.1% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($2,537/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $257 | $309 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,107 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $23,276 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $4,534 |
| Other | $2,678 | $952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $330 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $1,181 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $1,314 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $1,229 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $3,091 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $3,555 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $1,735 |
| Other | $5,120 | $3,322 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.