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

Tucson, AZ vs Tempe, AZ

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

Summary

Tempe spends 30.6% more per capita than Tucson ($6,958/person difference). Tempe, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

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
Tempe, AZ
Pop. 181,005
A
81/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden93
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency45
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tucson
Tempe
Total Spending
$8.5B
$4.1B
Spending / Capita
$15,759
$22,717
Total Revenue
$12.6B
$10.2B
Revenue / Capita
$23,276
$56,620
Total Debt
$833.1M
$86.4M
Debt / Capita
$1,540
$477
Population
541,033
181,005
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Tucson$330
Tempe$425
Highways & Roads
Tucson$0
Tempe$603
Parks & Recreation
Tucson$1,229
Tempe$996
Health
Tucson$0
Tempe$189

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonTempe
Property Tax
$5
$3
Sales Tax
$309
$353
Income Tax
$1,107
$1,152
Intergovernmental
$23,276
$3,872
Charges & Fees
$4,534
$2,554
Other
$952
$3,054

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TucsonTempe
Fire Protection
$330
$425
Highways & Roads
$0
$603
Public Welfare
$1,181
$985
Health
$0
$189
Hospitals
$1,314
$865
Parks & Recreation
$1,229
$996
Housing
$3,091
$6,386
Sewerage
$0
$577
Utilities
$3,555
$2,702
Interest on Debt
$1,735
$2,731
Other
$3,322
$6,258
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health
A
Tempe, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

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