Mesa, AZ vs New York, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New York, NY outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $12,768, a 911% 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 64/100 (grade C) for New York, NY — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 per resident versus $469 for Mesa, AZ. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas New York, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
New York spends 90.1% more per capita than Mesa ($116,351/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 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $399 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $19 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $20,520 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $1,835 |
| Other | $2,253 | $3,593 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,512 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $11,050 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $221 |
| Education | $0 | $37,892 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,116 |
| Health | $147 | $417 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $6,467 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $868 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $7,137 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $315 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $13,371 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $11,706 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,668 |
| Other | $3,082 | $25,380 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.