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

Mesa, AZ vs Memphis, TN

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

Summary

Memphis spends 42.3% more per capita than Mesa ($9,343/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
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Memphis
Total Spending
$6.4B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$22,111
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$34,065
Total Debt
$236.3M
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$469
$303
Population
503,390
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Memphis$1,397
Health
Mesa$147
Memphis$391

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaMemphis
Property Tax
$47
$10
Sales Tax
$463
$496
Income Tax
$1,376
$1,218
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$34,065
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,077
Other
$2,253
$3,994

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaMemphis
Fire Protection
$422
$469
Highways & Roads
$192
$277
Public Welfare
$829
$630
Health
$147
$391
Hospitals
$537
$1,677
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,397
Housing
$4,190
$4,683
Sewerage
$38
$0
Utilities
$2,376
$2,578
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,158
Other
$3,082
$8,850
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

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