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

Grade A Cities — Best Fiscal Health in America

These cities scored 80+ on our Fiscal Health Index — strong reserves, low debt, well-funded pensions, and diversified revenue. Explore every Grade A city.

Grade AGrade BGrade CGrade DGrade F
Cities
117
Total Population
19.4M
Avg Spending/Capita
$12,741
Avg Debt/Capita
$96

All 117 Grade A Cities

San Jose, CA

Pop. 1.0M

A
Total Spending
$18.0B
Per Capita
$17,934

Mesa, AZ

Pop. 503K

A
Total Spending
$6.4B
Per Capita
$12,768

Omaha, NE

Pop. 489K

A
Total Spending
$5.5B
Per Capita
$11,180

Wichita, KS

Pop. 396K

A
Total Spending
$3.2B
Per Capita
$7,986

Irvine, CA

Pop. 305K

A
Total Spending
$3.8B
Per Capita
$12,561

Chula Vista, CA

Pop. 276K

A
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$10,149

Reno, NV

Pop. 265K

A
Total Spending
$3.1B
Per Capita
$11,698

Fort Wayne, IN

Pop. 265K

A
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$10,590

Scottsdale, AZ

Pop. 241K

A
Total Spending
$5.2M
Per Capita
$21

Elk Grove, CA

Pop. 176K

A
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$8,768

West Valley City, UT

Pop. 139K

A
Total Spending
$1.6B
Per Capita
$11,407

Wilmington, NC

Pop. 117K

A
Total Spending
$1.6B
Per Capita
$13,444

Davenport, IA

Pop. 101K

A
Total Spending
$1.4B
Per Capita
$14,236

Toms River, NJ

Pop. 93K

A
Total Spending
$921.9M
Per Capita
$9,931

Waukegan, IL

Pop. 89K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$12,915

Hawthorne, CA

Pop. 87K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$12,805

Rapid City, SD

Pop. 76K

A
Total Spending
$970.2M
Per Capita
$12,828

Rowlett, TX

Pop. 63K

A
Total Spending
$783.0M
Per Capita
$12,372

Gilroy, CA

Pop. 59K

A
Total Spending
$735.5M
Per Capita
$12,531

Midwest City, OK

Pop. 58K

A
Total Spending
$680.5M
Per Capita
$11,708

Harrisburg, PA

Pop. 50K

A
Total Spending
$3.7M
Per Capita
$73

Winston-Salem, NC

Pop. 250K

A
Total Spending
$3.1B
Per Capita
$12,544

Edmond, OK

Pop. 95K

A
Total Spending
$1.3B
Per Capita
$13,890

Santa Fe, NM

Pop. 88K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$13,235

Missoula, MT

Pop. 75K

A
Total Spending
$1.0B
Per Capita
$13,853

Bolingbrook, IL

Pop. 74K

A
Total Spending
$1.0B
Per Capita
$13,729

Palatine, IL

Pop. 67K

A
Total Spending
$824.3M
Per Capita
$12,261

Lenexa, KS

Pop. 57K

A
Total Spending
$753.7M
Per Capita
$13,108

DeSoto, TX

Pop. 56K

A
Total Spending
$649.1M
Per Capita
$11,616

Rio Rancho, NM

Pop. 104K

A
Total Spending
$1.0B
Per Capita
$9,705

Bethlehem, PA

Pop. 77K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$14,468

Oshkosh, WI

Pop. 66K

A
Total Spending
$956.5M
Per Capita
$14,411

Greenwood, IN

Pop. 64K

A
Total Spending
$930.5M
Per Capita
$14,636

West Allis, WI

Pop. 60K

A
Total Spending
$874.6M
Per Capita
$14,599

Madison, WI

Pop. 269K

A
Total Spending
$5.9B
Per Capita
$21,859

Fontana, CA

Pop. 209K

A
Total Spending
$2.6B
Per Capita
$12,317

Little Rock, AR

Pop. 202K

A
Total Spending
$3.6B
Per Capita
$17,625

Aurora, IL

Pop. 181K

A
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$15,301

Topeka, KS

Pop. 126K

A
Total Spending
$1.8B
Per Capita
$14,435

Pittsburg, CA

Pop. 76K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$15,361

Appleton, WI

Pop. 75K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$15,241

Eau Claire, WI

Pop. 69K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$15,744

Kenner, LA

Pop. 66K

A
Total Spending
$700.2M
Per Capita
$10,644

Janesville, WI

Pop. 66K

A
Total Spending
$1.0B
Per Capita
$15,888

La Habra, CA

Pop. 63K

A
Total Spending
$976.0M
Per Capita
$15,515

Mount Prospect, IL

Pop. 56K

A
Total Spending
$894.5M
Per Capita
$15,919

Rochester, MN

Pop. 121K

A
Total Spending
$1.7B
Per Capita
$13,796

Wichita Falls, TX

Pop. 102K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$12,130

Reading, PA

Pop. 95K

A
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$16,327

Mission Viejo, CA

Pop. 93K

A
Total Spending
$857.5M
Per Capita
$9,197

Franklin, TN

Pop. 84K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$14,081

Atlanta, GA

Pop. 495K

A
Total Spending
$12.6B
Per Capita
$25,457

Stockton, CA

Pop. 320K

A
Total Spending
$4.0B
Per Capita
$12,349

Cincinnati, OH

Pop. 309K

A
Total Spending
$7.6B
Per Capita
$24,651

Laredo, TX

Pop. 255K

A
Total Spending
$4.2B
Per Capita
$16,559

Overland Park, KS

Pop. 197K

A
Total Spending
$1.6B
Per Capita
$8,044

Brownsville, TX

Pop. 187K

A
Total Spending
$1.9B
Per Capita
$9,921

Corona, CA

Pop. 158K

A
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$17,606

Pasadena, TX

Pop. 151K

A
Total Spending
$1.4B
Per Capita
$8,970

Provo, UT

Pop. 114K

A
Total Spending
$900.6M
Per Capita
$7,873

Rock Hill, SC

Pop. 74K

A
Total Spending
$1.3B
Per Capita
$17,824

Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY

Pop. 321K

A
Total Spending
$4.3B
Per Capita
$13,449

Olathe, KS

Pop. 142K

A
Total Spending
$2.1B
Per Capita
$14,735

Fishers, IN

Pop. 99K

A
Total Spending
$683.4M
Per Capita
$6,900

Goodyear, AZ

Pop. 98K

A
Total Spending
$1.6B
Per Capita
$16,771

Decatur, IL

Pop. 71K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$15,270

Kokomo, IN

Pop. 60K

A
Total Spending
$542.3M
Per Capita
$9,109

Grand Island, NE

Pop. 53K

A
Total Spending
$629.7M
Per Capita
$11,921

Houston, TX

Pop. 2.3M

A
Total Spending
$33.1B
Per Capita
$14,400

Arlington, TX

Pop. 393K

A
Total Spending
$4.6B
Per Capita
$11,769

Santa Clarita, CA

Pop. 226K

A
Total Spending
$2.0B
Per Capita
$8,679

Denton, TX

Pop. 142K

A
Total Spending
$3.1B
Per Capita
$21,622

Richmond, CA

Pop. 116K

A
Total Spending
$2.5B
Per Capita
$21,469

San Angelo, TX

Pop. 99K

A
Total Spending
$1.3B
Per Capita
$13,075

Lehi, UT

Pop. 77K

A
Total Spending
$798.1M
Per Capita
$10,350

Scranton, PA

Pop. 76K

A
Total Spending
$795.1M
Per Capita
$10,446

Commerce City, CO

Pop. 63K

A
Total Spending
$894.0M
Per Capita
$14,179

Las Vegas, NV

Pop. 645K

A
Total Spending
$5.9B
Per Capita
$9,085

Columbus, GA

Pop. 205K

A
Total Spending
$3.2B
Per Capita
$15,522

Springfield, MO

Pop. 169K

A
Total Spending
$2.7B
Per Capita
$15,703

Beaumont, TX

Pop. 115K

A
Total Spending
$2.4B
Per Capita
$20,572

Schaumburg, IL

Pop. 78K

A
Total Spending
$1.7B
Per Capita
$21,319

Evanston, IL

Pop. 77K

A
Total Spending
$1.6B
Per Capita
$21,161

Rockville, MD

Pop. 67K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$16,912

Burnsville, MN

Pop. 64K

A
Total Spending
$591.8M
Per Capita
$9,235

Owensboro, KY

Pop. 60K

A
Total Spending
$823.4M
Per Capita
$13,719

Albuquerque, NM

Pop. 563K

A
Total Spending
$9.7B
Per Capita
$17,237

Tempe, AZ

Pop. 181K

A
Total Spending
$4.1B
Per Capita
$22,717

Killeen, TX

Pop. 154K

A
Total Spending
$1.4B
Per Capita
$9,074

Hoffman Estates, IL

Pop. 52K

A
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$21,538

Irving, TX

Pop. 255K

A
Total Spending
$3.6B
Per Capita
$14,101

Glendale, AZ

Pop. 248K

A
Total Spending
$4.6B
Per Capita
$18,356

Clarksville, TN

Pop. 168K

A
Total Spending
$1.4B
Per Capita
$8,523

Independence, MO

Pop. 122K

A
Total Spending
$999.2M
Per Capita
$8,176

North Charleston, SC

Pop. 116K

A
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$12,917

Centennial, CO

Pop. 108K

A
Total Spending
$5.8M
Per Capita
$54

Sandy Springs, GA

Pop. 107K

A
Total Spending
$968.2M
Per Capita
$9,030

Carson, CA

Pop. 94K

A
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$12,719

Deltona, FL

Pop. 94K

A
Total Spending
$648.7M
Per Capita
$6,874

Johns Creek, GA

Pop. 82K

A
Total Spending
$433.4M
Per Capita
$5,271

Auburn, AL

Pop. 77K

A
Total Spending
$908.9M
Per Capita
$11,856

Bowling Green, KY

Pop. 72K

A
Total Spending
$754.7M
Per Capita
$10,426

St. Joseph, MO

Pop. 72K

A
Total Spending
$777.7M
Per Capita
$10,772

Lynwood, CA

Pop. 66K

A
Total Spending
$727.7M
Per Capita
$10,968

Bellevue, NE

Pop. 63K

A
Total Spending
$22.0M
Per Capita
$347

Blue Springs, MO

Pop. 59K

A
Total Spending
$472.1M
Per Capita
$8,040

Shoreline, WA

Pop. 59K

A
Total Spending
$323.3M
Per Capita
$5,511

Terre Haute, IN

Pop. 59K

A
Total Spending
$688.9M
Per Capita
$11,757

Wylie, TX

Pop. 57K

A
Total Spending
$621.5M
Per Capita
$10,891

Brookhaven, GA

Pop. 57K

A
Total Spending
$352.5M
Per Capita
$6,201

Smyrna, GA

Pop. 56K

A
Total Spending
$582.2M
Per Capita
$10,423

Manhattan, KS

Pop. 54K

A
Total Spending
$663.3M
Per Capita
$12,218

Elkhart, IN

Pop. 54K

A
Total Spending
$476.0M
Per Capita
$8,849

Kannapolis, NC

Pop. 53K

A
Total Spending
$641.1M
Per Capita
$12,025

Marana, AZ

Pop. 53K

A
Total Spending
$638.1M
Per Capita
$12,145

Cathedral City, CA

Pop. 52K

A
Total Spending
$667.9M
Per Capita
$12,853

Mishawaka, IN

Pop. 51K

A
Total Spending
$553.0M
Per Capita
$10,864

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Grade A fiscal health score mean?

Excellent fiscal health — strong reserves, low debt, well-funded pensions

How many US cities have a Grade A?

There are 117 cities with a Grade A fiscal health score out of 871 cities tracked. This represents 13.4% of all cities in our database.

What factors determine a city's fiscal health grade?

Our Fiscal Health Score weighs six factors: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden vs. peers (20%), pension funding ratio (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year fiscal trend (10%). Cities scoring 80+ earn a Grade A.

What is the average spending per capita for Grade A cities?

Grade A cities spend an average of $12,741 per resident annually. Their average debt per capita is $96. These figures are based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Fiscal Health Scores are proprietary composite scores — see methodology.