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

Detroit, MI vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Detroit spends 143.5% more per capita than Mesa ($18,319/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
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
Detroit
Mesa
Total Spending
$19.8B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$12,768
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$35,688
Total Debt
$493.9M
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$776
$469
Population
636,787
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Mesa$953
Health
Detroit$396
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitMesa
Property Tax
$44
$47
Sales Tax
$200
$463
Income Tax
$1,045
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$291
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$3,334
Other
$6,892
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitMesa
Fire Protection
$2,429
$422
Highways & Roads
$0
$192
Public Welfare
$833
$829
Health
$396
$147
Hospitals
$2,217
$537
Parks & Recreation
$950
$953
Housing
$5,791
$4,190
Sewerage
$451
$38
Utilities
$2,737
$2,376
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$3,082
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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