Austin, TX vs Mesa, AZ

Austin, TX outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $21,772 versus $12,768, a 71% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 75/100 (grade B) for Austin, TX — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Austin, TX at $1,801 per resident and in Mesa, AZ at $953.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Austin, TX at 18% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.