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

Phoenix, AZ vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

Phoenix spends 0.2% more per capita than Tucson ($34/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
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Phoenix
Tucson
Total Spending
$25.4B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$15,759
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$23,276
Total Debt
$1.9B
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$1,540
Population
1,609,456
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Tucson$1,229
Education
Phoenix$214
Tucson$0
Health
Phoenix$258
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixTucson
Property Tax
$7
$5
Sales Tax
$338
$309
Income Tax
$1,260
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$4,534
Other
$2,038
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixTucson
Fire Protection
$170
$330
Highways & Roads
$86
$0
Education
$214
$0
Public Welfare
$507
$1,181
Health
$258
$0
Hospitals
$1,521
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$652
$1,229
Housing
$3,879
$3,091
Sewerage
$388
$0
Utilities
$2,480
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$1,735
Other
$3,878
$3,322
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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