Denver, CO vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Denver spends 163.0% more per capita than Mesa ($20,814/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Mesa
Total Spending
$23.9B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$12,768
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$35,688
Total Debt
$3.6B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$469
Population
710,800
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Mesa$953
Education
Denver$821
Mesa$0
Health
Denver$693
Mesa$147
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverMesa
| Property Tax | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,334 |
| Other | $10,100 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverMesa
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $192 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $829 |
| Health | $693 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $953 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $38 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $3,082 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health