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

Tucson, AZ vs Omaha, NE

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Tucson, AZ spends 41% more per resident than Omaha, NE: $15,759 against $11,180. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Omaha, NE holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 55/100 (grade C) for Tucson, AZ — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Omaha, NE 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 Omaha, NE at $742.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tucson, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Omaha, NE relies most on other revenue at 17%.

Summary

Tucson spends 41.0% more per capita than Omaha ($4,579/person difference). Omaha, NE has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Omaha, NE
Pop. 489,201
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tucson
Omaha
Total Spending
$8.5B
$5.5B
Spending / Capita
$15,759
$11,180
Total Revenue
$12.6B
$13.2B
Revenue / Capita
$23,276
$26,929
Total Debt
$833.1M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,540
$0
Population
541,033
489,201
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tucson$330
Omaha$0
Highways & Roads
Tucson$0
Omaha$319
Parks & Recreation
Tucson$1,229
Omaha$742
Health
Tucson$0
Omaha$456

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonOmaha
Property Tax
$5
$624
Sales Tax
$309
$373
Income Tax
$1,107
$0
Intergovernmental
$23,276
$2,622
Charges & Fees
$4,534
$0
Other
$952
$4,672

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonOmaha
Fire Protection
$330
$0
Highways & Roads
$0
$319
Public Welfare
$1,181
$1,521
Health
$0
$456
Hospitals
$1,314
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,229
$742
Housing
$3,091
$3,045
Utilities
$3,555
$581
Interest on Debt
$1,735
$0
Other
$3,322
$4,516
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
A
Omaha, NE
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.