Tucson, AZ vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Tucson, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $15,759, a 117% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Long Beach, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 55/100 (grade C) for Tucson, AZ — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Tucson, AZ at $1,229 per resident and in Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tucson, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 54.0% more per capita than Tucson ($18,491/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $5 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $2,424 |
| Other | $952 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $330 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $1,317 |
| Health | $0 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $698 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $86 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $2,718 |
| Other | $3,322 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.