Mesa, AZ vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Mesa, AZ spends 41% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $12,768 against $9,085. 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 82/100 (grade A) for Las Vegas, NV — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Las Vegas, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mesa, AZ carries $469 per resident. 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 Las Vegas, NV at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Mesa spends 40.5% more per capita than Las Vegas ($3,683/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 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $0 |
| Other | $2,253 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $705 |
| Health | $147 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $332 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $129 |
| Other | $3,082 | $5,243 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.