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

Mesa, AZ vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Mesa spends 8.5% more per capita than Arlington ($999/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Arlington
Total Spending
$6.4B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$11,769
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$60,454
Total Debt
$236.3M
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$469
$594
Population
503,390
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Arlington$1,352
Health
Mesa$147
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaArlington
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$507
Income Tax
$1,376
$73
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,949
Other
$2,253
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaArlington
Fire Protection
$422
$160
Highways & Roads
$192
$149
Public Welfare
$829
$826
Health
$147
$219
Hospitals
$537
$152
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,352
Housing
$4,190
$2,981
Sewerage
$38
$141
Utilities
$2,376
$1,385
Other
$3,082
$4,404
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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