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

Mesa, AZ vs Los Angeles, CA

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

Summary

Los Angeles spends 85.1% more per capita than Mesa ($72,664/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
Los Angeles, CA
Pop. 3,881,041
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Los Angeles
Total Spending
$6.4B
$331.6B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$85,432
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$68.3B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$17,595
Total Debt
$236.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$469
$0
Population
503,390
3,881,041
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Los Angeles$4,111
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Los Angeles$1,057
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Los Angeles$503
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Los Angeles$1,347
Education
Mesa$0
Los Angeles$829
Health
Mesa$147
Los Angeles$409

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaLos Angeles
Property Tax
$47
$64
Sales Tax
$463
$77
Income Tax
$1,376
$307
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$134
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$459
Other
$2,253
$9,048

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaLos Angeles
Police
$0
$4,111
Fire Protection
$422
$1,057
Highways & Roads
$192
$503
Education
$0
$829
Public Welfare
$829
$1,286
Health
$147
$409
Hospitals
$537
$2,135
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,347
Housing
$4,190
$6,325
Sewerage
$38
$34
Utilities
$2,376
$21,992
Interest on Debt
$0
$630
General Admin
$0
$11,586
Other
$3,082
$33,189
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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