Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Columbus, OH vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Columbus spends 47.7% more per capita than Mesa ($6,090/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
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
Columbus
Mesa
Total Spending
$17.0B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$12,768
Total Revenue
$0
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$35,688
Total Debt
$1.0B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$469
Population
902,449
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Mesa$953
Health
Columbus$0
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusMesa
Property Tax
$10
$47
Sales Tax
$234
$463
Income Tax
$1
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$0
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$3,334
Other
$5,248
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusMesa
Fire Protection
$1,016
$422
Highways & Roads
$224
$192
Public Welfare
$878
$829
Health
$0
$147
Hospitals
$953
$537
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$953
Housing
$4,303
$4,190
Sewerage
$1
$38
Utilities
$1,719
$2,376
Other
$7,595
$3,082
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities