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

Boston, MA vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Boston spends 466.2% more per capita than Mesa ($59,531/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Boston
Mesa
Total Spending
$48.1B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$12,768
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$35,688
Total Debt
$296.3M
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$445
$469
Population
665,945
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Mesa$953
Education
Boston$30,742
Mesa$0
Health
Boston$725
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonMesa
Property Tax
$0
$47
Sales Tax
$78
$463
Income Tax
$0
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$3,334
Other
$4,557
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonMesa
Fire Protection
$1,107
$422
Highways & Roads
$594
$192
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$829
Health
$725
$147
Hospitals
$2,584
$537
Parks & Recreation
$711
$953
Housing
$6,614
$4,190
Sewerage
$355
$38
Utilities
$3,402
$2,376
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$3,082
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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