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

Austin, TX vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Austin spends 70.5% more per capita than Mesa ($9,004/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Mesa
Total Spending
$20.9B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$12,768
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$35,688
Total Debt
$1.2B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$469
Population
958,202
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Mesa$953
Education
Austin$51
Mesa$0
Health
Austin$517
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinMesa
Property Tax
$0
$47
Sales Tax
$526
$463
Income Tax
$1,465
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$3,334
Other
$5,645
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinMesa
Fire Protection
$634
$422
Highways & Roads
$0
$192
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$829
Health
$517
$147
Hospitals
$664
$537
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$953
Housing
$3,741
$4,190
Sewerage
$865
$38
Utilities
$3,264
$2,376
Other
$8,399
$3,082
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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