Mesa, AZ vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $12,768, a 341% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 45-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Philadelphia, PA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 16%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 77.3% more per capita than Mesa ($43,504/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 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $2,790 |
| Other | $2,253 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $1,456 |
| Health | $147 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $325 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $3,082 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.