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

Mesa, AZ vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 19.5% more per capita than Mesa ($3,085/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
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Charlotte
Total Spending
$6.4B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$15,854
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$49,746
Total Debt
$236.3M
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$469
$2,690
Population
503,390
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Mesa$147
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaCharlotte
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$541
Income Tax
$1,376
$366
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,459
Other
$2,253
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaCharlotte
Fire Protection
$422
$463
Highways & Roads
$192
$41
Public Welfare
$829
$672
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,571
Housing
$4,190
$3,944
Sewerage
$38
$0
Utilities
$2,376
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,226
Other
$3,082
$3,448
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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