Mesa, AZ vs Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs, CO and Mesa, AZ spend within 3.6% of each other per resident — $13,222 versus $12,768 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.

They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Colorado Springs, CO relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 13%.