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

Mesa, AZ vs Atlanta, GA

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

Summary

Atlanta spends 49.8% more per capita than Mesa ($12,689/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
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Atlanta
Total Spending
$6.4B
$12.6B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$25,457
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$77.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$156,803
Total Debt
$236.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$469
$0
Population
503,390
494,838
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Atlanta$315
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Atlanta$464
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Atlanta$513
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Atlanta$1,274
Education
Mesa$0
Atlanta$25
Health
Mesa$147
Atlanta$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaAtlanta
Property Tax
$47
$419
Sales Tax
$463
$0
Income Tax
$1,376
$1,292
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$9,121
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$5,645
Other
$2,253
$5,461

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaAtlanta
Police
$0
$315
Fire Protection
$422
$464
Highways & Roads
$192
$513
Education
$0
$25
Public Welfare
$829
$1,587
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$55
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,274
Housing
$4,190
$4,594
Sewerage
$38
$343
Utilities
$2,376
$8,026
Other
$3,082
$8,262
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

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