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

Tucson, AZ vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 49.3% more per capita than Tucson ($15,328/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tucson
Detroit
Total Spending
$8.5B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$15,759
$31,087
Total Revenue
$12.6B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$23,276
$44,533
Total Debt
$833.1M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,540
$776
Population
541,033
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tucson$330
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Tucson$1,229
Detroit$950
Health
Tucson$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonDetroit
Property Tax
$5
$44
Sales Tax
$309
$200
Income Tax
$1,107
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$23,276
$291
Charges & Fees
$4,534
$2,228
Other
$952
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonDetroit
Fire Protection
$330
$2,429
Public Welfare
$1,181
$833
Health
$0
$396
Hospitals
$1,314
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,229
$950
Housing
$3,091
$5,791
Sewerage
$0
$451
Utilities
$3,555
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$1,735
$2,068
Other
$3,322
$13,216
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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