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

Tempe, AZ vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

Tempe spends 44.2% more per capita than Tucson ($6,958/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
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tempe
Tucson
Total Spending
$4.1B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$22,717
$15,759
Total Revenue
$10.2B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$56,620
$23,276
Total Debt
$86.4M
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$477
$1,540
Population
181,005
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tempe$425
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
Tempe$603
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
Tempe$996
Tucson$1,229
Health
Tempe$189
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TempeTucson
Property Tax
$3
$5
Sales Tax
$353
$309
Income Tax
$1,152
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$3,872
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$2,554
$4,534
Other
$3,054
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TempeTucson
Fire Protection
$425
$330
Highways & Roads
$603
$0
Public Welfare
$985
$1,181
Health
$189
$0
Hospitals
$865
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$996
$1,229
Housing
$6,386
$3,091
Sewerage
$577
$0
Utilities
$2,702
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$2,731
$1,735
Other
$6,258
$3,322
A
Tempe, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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