Scottsdale, AZ vs Glendale, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Glendale, AZ outspends Scottsdale, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $18,356 versus $21, a 85503% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Scottsdale, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 80/100 (grade A) for Glendale, AZ — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Scottsdale, AZ carries the lighter load at $2 per resident versus $227 for Glendale, AZ. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Scottsdale, AZ at $2 per resident and in Glendale, AZ at $1,295.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Scottsdale, AZ at 13% of total revenue, whereas Glendale, AZ relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Glendale spends 99.9% more per capita than Scottsdale ($18,335/person difference). Scottsdale, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1 | $269 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $520 |
| Intergovernmental | $4 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $5 | $2,381 |
| Other | $4 | $2,772 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $377 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $280 |
| Education | $0 | $13 |
| Public Welfare | $1 | $1,522 |
| Health | $0 | $266 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,555 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2 | $1,295 |
| Housing | $5 | $5,079 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $193 |
| Utilities | $4 | $3,088 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $980 |
| Other | $8 | $3,709 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.