Mesa, AZ vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charlotte, NC spends 24% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $15,854 against $12,768. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Charlotte, NC — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Mesa, AZ at $953 per resident and in Charlotte, NC at $1,571.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.