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

Mesa, AZ vs Fresno, CA

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

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

City A
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Fresno
Total Spending
$6.4B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$43,387
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$10,998
Total Debt
$236.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$469
$0
Population
503,390
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Fresno$568
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Fresno$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Fresno$76
Education
Mesa$0
Fresno$3,942
Health
Mesa$147
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaFresno
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)

MesaFresno
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
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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