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

Phoenix, AZ vs Sacramento, CA

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

Summary

Sacramento spends 77.8% more per capita than Phoenix ($55,227/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Phoenix
Sacramento
Total Spending
$25.4B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$71,020
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$63,682
Total Debt
$1.9B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$0
Population
1,609,456
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Phoenix$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Sacramento$2,466
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Sacramento$0
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Phoenix$214
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Phoenix$258
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSacramento
Property Tax
$7
$1,465
Sales Tax
$338
$378
Income Tax
$1,260
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$3,239
Other
$2,038
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$170
$2,466
Highways & Roads
$86
$0
Education
$214
$2,684
Public Welfare
$507
$3,470
Health
$258
$18
Hospitals
$1,521
$0
Parks & Recreation
$652
$1,437
Housing
$3,879
$8,577
Sewerage
$388
$103
Utilities
$2,480
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$162
Other
$3,878
$26,782
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities