Houston, TX vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Houston spends 12.8% more per capita than Mesa ($1,632/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Mesa
Total Spending
$33.1B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$12,768
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$35,688
Total Debt
$2.0B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$863
$469
Population
2,296,253
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Mesa$953
Health
Houston$210
Mesa$147
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonMesa
| Property Tax | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $3,334 |
| Other | $3,960 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonMesa
| Fire Protection | $295 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $192 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $829 |
| Health | $210 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $953 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $38 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,376 |
| Other | $6,301 | $3,082 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health