Mesa, AZ vs Oklahoma City, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oklahoma City, OK spends 42% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $18,074 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 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. 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 Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Oklahoma City, OK relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 19%.
Summary
Oklahoma City spends 29.4% more per capita than Mesa ($5,305/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 | $763 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $1,037 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $6,852 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $3,256 |
| Other | $2,253 | $1,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $422 | $513 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,525 |
| Health | $147 | $5 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $2,044 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $2,014 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $2,857 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $4,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $707 |
| Other | $3,082 | $3,886 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.