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

Mesa, AZ vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 82.3% more per capita than Mesa ($59,531/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
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Boston
Total Spending
$6.4B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$72,299
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$31,243
Total Debt
$236.3M
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$469
$445
Population
503,390
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Boston$711
Education
Mesa$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Mesa$147
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaBoston
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$78
Income Tax
$1,376
$0
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,784
Other
$2,253
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaBoston
Fire Protection
$422
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$192
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$829
$1,110
Health
$147
$725
Hospitals
$537
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$953
$711
Housing
$4,190
$6,614
Sewerage
$38
$355
Utilities
$2,376
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$3,082
$18,955
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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