Colorado Springs, CO vs Mesa, AZ

Colorado Springs, CO and Mesa, AZ spend within 3.6% of each other per resident — $13,222 versus $12,768 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Colorado Springs, CO at 13% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.