Mesa, AZ vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $12,768, a 90% 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 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 29-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, 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 El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
El Paso spends 47.4% more per capita than Mesa ($11,491/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $31 |
| Other | $2,253 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $299 |
| Health | $147 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $151 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $6 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $3,082 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.