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

Chicago, IL vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Chicago spends 170.6% more per capita than Mesa ($21,783/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
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
Chicago
Mesa
Total Spending
$94.0B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$12,768
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$35,688
Total Debt
$2.7B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$977
$469
Population
2,721,914
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Mesa$953
Health
Chicago$426
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoMesa
Property Tax
$26
$47
Sales Tax
$74
$463
Income Tax
$229
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$3,334
Other
$3,463
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoMesa
Fire Protection
$10,754
$422
Highways & Roads
$930
$192
Public Welfare
$1,858
$829
Health
$426
$147
Hospitals
$1,444
$537
Parks & Recreation
$122
$953
Housing
$6,520
$4,190
Sewerage
$129
$38
Utilities
$2,983
$2,376
Other
$9,385
$3,082
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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