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

Tempe, AZ vs Surprise, AZ

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

Summary

Tempe spends 57.4% 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
Tempe, AZ
Pop. 181,005
A
81/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden93
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency45
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Surprise, AZ
Pop. 145,591
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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