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

Mesa, AZ vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Detroit spends 58.9% more per capita than Mesa ($18,319/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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Detroit
Total Spending
$6.4B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$31,087
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$44,533
Total Debt
$236.3M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$469
$776
Population
503,390
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Detroit$950
Health
Mesa$147
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaDetroit
Property Tax
$47
$44
Sales Tax
$463
$200
Income Tax
$1,376
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$291
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,228
Other
$2,253
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaDetroit
Fire Protection
$422
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Public Welfare
$829
$833
Health
$147
$396
Hospitals
$537
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$953
$950
Housing
$4,190
$5,791
Sewerage
$38
$451
Utilities
$2,376
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,068
Other
$3,082
$13,216
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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