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

Glendale, AZ vs Surprise, AZ

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

Summary

Glendale spends 27.2% more per capita than Surprise ($3,920/person difference). Glendale, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Glendale, AZ
Pop. 248,083
A
80/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency71
Revenue Diversity100
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
Glendale
Surprise
Total Spending
$4.6B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$18,356
$14,436
Total Revenue
$9.6B
$502.8M
Revenue / Capita
$38,513
$3,454
Total Debt
$56.2M
$45.0M
Debt / Capita
$227
$309
Population
248,083
145,591
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Glendale$377
Surprise$870
Highways & Roads
Glendale$280
Surprise$0
Parks & Recreation
Glendale$1,295
Surprise$2,032
Education
Glendale$13
Surprise$0
Health
Glendale$266
Surprise$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

GlendaleSurprise
Sales Tax
$269
$100
Income Tax
$520
$673
Intergovernmental
$7
$3,454
Charges & Fees
$2,381
$1,036
Other
$2,772
$2,972

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

GlendaleSurprise
Fire Protection
$377
$870
Highways & Roads
$280
$0
Education
$13
$0
Public Welfare
$1,522
$2,361
Health
$266
$0
Hospitals
$1,555
$1,200
Parks & Recreation
$1,295
$2,032
Housing
$5,079
$2,769
Sewerage
$193
$0
Utilities
$3,088
$1,764
Interest on Debt
$980
$38
Other
$3,709
$3,403
A
Glendale, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

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