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

Mesa, AZ vs Chicago, IL

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

Summary

Chicago spends 63.0% more per capita than Mesa ($21,783/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
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Chicago
Total Spending
$6.4B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$34,551
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$85,083
Total Debt
$236.3M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$469
$977
Population
503,390
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Chicago$122
Health
Mesa$147
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaChicago
Property Tax
$47
$26
Sales Tax
$463
$74
Income Tax
$1,376
$229
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,847
Other
$2,253
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaChicago
Fire Protection
$422
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$192
$930
Public Welfare
$829
$1,858
Health
$147
$426
Hospitals
$537
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$953
$122
Housing
$4,190
$6,520
Sewerage
$38
$129
Utilities
$2,376
$2,983
Other
$3,082
$9,385
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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