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

Surprise, AZ vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

Tucson spends 8.4% more per capita than Surprise ($1,323/person difference). Surprise, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

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
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Surprise
Tucson
Total Spending
$2.1B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,436
$15,759
Total Revenue
$502.8M
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$3,454
$23,276
Total Debt
$45.0M
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$309
$1,540
Population
145,591
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Surprise$870
Tucson$330
Parks & Recreation
Surprise$2,032
Tucson$1,229

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseTucson
Property Tax
$0
$5
Sales Tax
$100
$309
Income Tax
$673
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$3,454
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$1,036
$4,534
Other
$2,972
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SurpriseTucson
Fire Protection
$870
$330
Public Welfare
$2,361
$1,181
Hospitals
$1,200
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$2,032
$1,229
Housing
$2,769
$3,091
Utilities
$1,764
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$38
$1,735
Other
$3,403
$3,322
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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