Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Tucson, AZ vs Phoenix, AZ

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

Summary

Phoenix spends 0.2% more per capita than Tucson ($34/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

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
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tucson
Phoenix
Total Spending
$8.5B
$25.4B
Spending / Capita
$15,759
$15,793
Total Revenue
$12.6B
$81.6B
Revenue / Capita
$23,276
$50,709
Total Debt
$833.1M
$1.9B
Debt / Capita
$1,540
$1,156
Population
541,033
1,609,456
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tucson$330
Phoenix$170
Highways & Roads
Tucson$0
Phoenix$86
Parks & Recreation
Tucson$1,229
Phoenix$652
Education
Tucson$0
Phoenix$214
Health
Tucson$0
Phoenix$258

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonPhoenix
Property Tax
$5
$7
Sales Tax
$309
$338
Income Tax
$1,107
$1,260
Intergovernmental
$23,276
$50,709
Charges & Fees
$4,534
$2,998
Other
$952
$2,038

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonPhoenix
Fire Protection
$330
$170
Highways & Roads
$0
$86
Education
$0
$214
Public Welfare
$1,181
$507
Health
$0
$258
Hospitals
$1,314
$1,521
Parks & Recreation
$1,229
$652
Housing
$3,091
$3,879
Sewerage
$0
$388
Utilities
$3,555
$2,480
Interest on Debt
$1,735
$1,760
Other
$3,322
$3,878
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities