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

Mesa, AZ vs Columbus, OH

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

Summary

Columbus spends 32.3% more per capita than Mesa ($6,090/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
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Columbus
Total Spending
$6.4B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$18,858
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$0
Total Debt
$236.3M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,145
Population
503,390
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Columbus$2,168
Health
Mesa$147
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaColumbus
Property Tax
$47
$10
Sales Tax
$463
$234
Income Tax
$1,376
$1
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,389
Other
$2,253
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaColumbus
Fire Protection
$422
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$192
$224
Public Welfare
$829
$878
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$953
Parks & Recreation
$953
$2,168
Housing
$4,190
$4,303
Sewerage
$38
$1
Utilities
$2,376
$1,719
Other
$3,082
$7,595
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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