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

Phoenix, AZ vs Tempe, AZ

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

Summary

Tempe spends 30.5% more per capita than Phoenix ($6,924/person difference). Tempe, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

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
Tempe, AZ
Pop. 181,005
A
81/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden93
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency45
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Phoenix
Tempe
Total Spending
$25.4B
$4.1B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$22,717
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$10.2B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$56,620
Total Debt
$1.9B
$86.4M
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$477
Population
1,609,456
181,005
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Tempe$425
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Tempe$603
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Tempe$996
Education
Phoenix$214
Tempe$0
Health
Phoenix$258
Tempe$189

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixTempe
Property Tax
$7
$3
Sales Tax
$338
$353
Income Tax
$1,260
$1,152
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$3,872
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$2,554
Other
$2,038
$3,054

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixTempe
Fire Protection
$170
$425
Highways & Roads
$86
$603
Education
$214
$0
Public Welfare
$507
$985
Health
$258
$189
Hospitals
$1,521
$865
Parks & Recreation
$652
$996
Housing
$3,879
$6,386
Sewerage
$388
$577
Utilities
$2,480
$2,702
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$2,731
Other
$3,878
$6,258
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
A
Tempe, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

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