Mesa, AZ vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $12,768, a 168% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA 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 Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 62.7% more per capita than Mesa ($21,482/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 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $2,424 |
| Other | $2,253 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $422 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,317 |
| Health | $147 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $698 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $86 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,718 |
| Other | $3,082 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.