Mesa, AZ vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Houston spends 11.3% more per capita than Mesa ($1,632/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Mesa
Houston
Total Spending
$6.4B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$14,400
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$55,600
Total Debt
$236.3M
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$469
$863
Population
503,390
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Houston$361
Health
Mesa$147
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
MesaHouston
| Property Tax | $47 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $3,475 |
| Other | $2,253 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
MesaHouston
| Fire Protection | $422 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $533 |
| Health | $147 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $1,339 |
| Other | $3,082 | $6,301 |
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health