Mesa, AZ vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI spends 52% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $19,417 against $12,768. 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 62/100 (grade C) for Milwaukee, WI — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mesa, AZ carries $469 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 34.2% more per capita than Mesa ($6,649/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 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $0 |
| Other | $2,253 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $180 |
| Health | $147 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,608 |
| Other | $3,082 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.