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

San Diego, CA vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

San Diego spends 174.8% more per capita than Tucson ($27,547/person difference). Tucson, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
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
San Diego
Tucson
Total Spending
$59.9B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$15,759
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$23,276
Total Debt
$0
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,540
Population
1,383,987
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Tucson$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Tucson$1,229
Education
San Diego$2,005
Tucson$0
Health
San Diego$411
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoTucson
Property Tax
$124
$5
Sales Tax
$63
$309
Income Tax
$194
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$57
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$14
$4,534
Other
$3,801
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoTucson
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$330
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$0
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$1,181
Health
$411
$0
Hospitals
$0
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$436
$1,229
Housing
$4,476
$3,091
Sewerage
$43
$0
Utilities
$11,704
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,735
Other
$17,509
$3,322
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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