Mesa, AZ vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $12,768, a 240% 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 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 40-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.
Summary
Fresno spends 70.6% more per capita than Mesa ($30,619/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 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $11 |
| Other | $2,253 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $568 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,946 |
| Health | $147 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $76 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $255 |
| Other | $3,082 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.