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

Surprise, AZ vs Tempe, AZ

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

Summary

Tempe spends 36.5% more per capita than Surprise ($8,281/person difference). Tempe, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

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

Key Metrics

Metric
Surprise
Tempe
Total Spending
$2.1B
$4.1B
Spending / Capita
$14,436
$22,717
Total Revenue
$502.8M
$10.2B
Revenue / Capita
$3,454
$56,620
Total Debt
$45.0M
$86.4M
Debt / Capita
$309
$477
Population
145,591
181,005
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Surprise$870
Tempe$425
Highways & Roads
Surprise$0
Tempe$603
Parks & Recreation
Surprise$2,032
Tempe$996
Health
Surprise$0
Tempe$189

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseTempe
Property Tax
$0
$3
Sales Tax
$100
$353
Income Tax
$673
$1,152
Intergovernmental
$3,454
$3,872
Charges & Fees
$1,036
$2,554
Other
$2,972
$3,054

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseTempe
Fire Protection
$870
$425
Highways & Roads
$0
$603
Public Welfare
$2,361
$985
Health
$0
$189
Hospitals
$1,200
$865
Parks & Recreation
$2,032
$996
Housing
$2,769
$6,386
Sewerage
$0
$577
Utilities
$1,764
$2,702
Interest on Debt
$38
$2,731
Other
$3,403
$6,258
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
A
Tempe, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

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