Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Gilbert, AZ vs Surprise, AZ

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

Summary

Surprise spends 22.1% more per capita than Gilbert ($3,197/person difference). Gilbert, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 60/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Gilbert, AZ
Pop. 267,267
C
60/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Surprise, AZ
Pop. 145,591
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Gilbert
Surprise
Total Spending
$3.0B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$11,239
$14,436
Total Revenue
$9.6B
$502.8M
Revenue / Capita
$35,750
$3,454
Total Debt
$499.0M
$45.0M
Debt / Capita
$1,867
$309
Population
267,267
145,591
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Gilbert$39
Surprise$0
Fire Protection
Gilbert$133
Surprise$870
Highways & Roads
Gilbert$191
Surprise$0
Parks & Recreation
Gilbert$1,066
Surprise$2,032
Health
Gilbert$142
Surprise$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

GilbertSurprise
Property Tax
$2
$0
Sales Tax
$244
$100
Income Tax
$1,096
$673
Intergovernmental
$35,750
$3,454
Charges & Fees
$2,411
$1,036
Other
$1,553
$2,972

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

GilbertSurprise
Police
$39
$0
Fire Protection
$133
$870
Highways & Roads
$191
$0
Public Welfare
$955
$2,361
Health
$142
$0
Hospitals
$29
$1,200
Parks & Recreation
$1,066
$2,032
Housing
$2,707
$2,769
Sewerage
$208
$0
Utilities
$2,287
$1,764
Interest on Debt
$25
$38
Other
$3,455
$3,403
C
Gilbert, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 60/100
Average fiscal health
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities