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

Surprise, AZ vs Glendale, AZ

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

Summary

Glendale spends 21.4% more per capita than Surprise ($3,920/person difference). Glendale, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Surprise, AZ
Pop. 145,591
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Glendale, AZ
Pop. 248,083
A
80/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency71
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Surprise
Glendale
Total Spending
$2.1B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$14,436
$18,356
Total Revenue
$502.8M
$9.6B
Revenue / Capita
$3,454
$38,513
Total Debt
$45.0M
$56.2M
Debt / Capita
$309
$227
Population
145,591
248,083
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Surprise$870
Glendale$377
Highways & Roads
Surprise$0
Glendale$280
Parks & Recreation
Surprise$2,032
Glendale$1,295
Education
Surprise$0
Glendale$13
Health
Surprise$0
Glendale$266

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseGlendale
Sales Tax
$100
$269
Income Tax
$673
$520
Intergovernmental
$3,454
$7
Charges & Fees
$1,036
$2,381
Other
$2,972
$2,772

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseGlendale
Fire Protection
$870
$377
Highways & Roads
$0
$280
Education
$0
$13
Public Welfare
$2,361
$1,522
Health
$0
$266
Hospitals
$1,200
$1,555
Parks & Recreation
$2,032
$1,295
Housing
$2,769
$5,079
Sewerage
$0
$193
Utilities
$1,764
$3,088
Interest on Debt
$38
$980
Other
$3,403
$3,709
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
A
Glendale, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities