Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Mesa, AZ vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

Denver spends 62.0% more per capita than Mesa ($20,814/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
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Denver
Total Spending
$6.4B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$33,582
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$122,063
Total Debt
$236.3M
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$469
$5,126
Population
503,390
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Denver$3,319
Education
Mesa$0
Denver$821
Health
Mesa$147
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaDenver
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$2,070
Income Tax
$1,376
$236
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$5,207
Other
$2,253
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaDenver
Police
$0
$2,455
Fire Protection
$422
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$192
$475
Education
$0
$821
Public Welfare
$829
$764
Health
$147
$693
Hospitals
$537
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$953
$3,319
Housing
$4,190
$3,565
Sewerage
$38
$293
Utilities
$2,376
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$0
$7
General Admin
$0
$364
Other
$3,082
$12,011
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities