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

Fresno, CA vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Fresno spends 239.8% more per capita than Mesa ($30,619/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Fresno
Mesa
Total Spending
$23.5B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$12,768
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
541,528
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Mesa$953
Education
Fresno$3,942
Mesa$0
Health
Fresno$599
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoMesa
Property Tax
$337
$47
Sales Tax
$19
$463
Income Tax
$501
$1,376
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$11
$3,334
Other
$2,070
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoMesa
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$422
Highways & Roads
$0
$192
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$829
Health
$599
$147
Hospitals
$0
$537
Parks & Recreation
$76
$953
Housing
$2,856
$4,190
Sewerage
$0
$38
Utilities
$15,340
$2,376
Interest on Debt
$255
$0
Other
$14,545
$3,082
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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