Mesa, AZ vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $12,768, a 173% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dallas, TX — a 33-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mesa, AZ carries $469 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.
Summary
Dallas spends 63.4% more per capita than Mesa ($22,081/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 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $0 |
| Other | $2,253 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $215 |
| Health | $147 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $3,082 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.