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

Mesa, AZ vs Glendale, AZ

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

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

City A
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Glendale, AZ
Pop. 248,083
A
80/100
Budget Balance75
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency71
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Glendale
Total Spending
$6.4B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$18,356
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$9.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$38,513
Total Debt
$236.3M
$56.2M
Debt / Capita
$469
$227
Population
503,390
248,083
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Glendale$377
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Glendale$280
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Glendale$1,295
Education
Mesa$0
Glendale$13
Health
Mesa$147
Glendale$266

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaGlendale
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)

MesaGlendale
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
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Glendale, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health

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