Tucson, AZ vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Tucson, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $15,759, a 351% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229 per resident, while Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Tucson, AZ at 100% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 77.8% more per capita than Tucson ($55,261/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $5 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $3,239 |
| Other | $952 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $330 | $2,466 |
| Education | $0 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $3,470 |
| Health | $0 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $103 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $162 |
| Other | $3,322 | $26,782 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.