Mesa, AZ vs Glendale, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Glendale, AZ spends 44% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $18,356 against $12,768. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 80/100 (grade A) for Glendale, AZ — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Glendale, AZ carries the lighter load at $227 per resident versus $469 for Mesa, AZ. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Mesa, AZ at $953 per resident and in Glendale, AZ at $1,295.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Glendale, AZ relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Glendale spends 30.4% more per capita than Mesa ($5,588/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 | $269 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $520 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $2,381 |
| Other | $2,253 | $2,772 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $422 | $377 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $280 |
| Education | $0 | $13 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,522 |
| Health | $147 | $266 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $1,555 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $1,295 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $5,079 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $193 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $3,088 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $980 |
| Other | $3,082 | $3,709 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.