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

Mesa, AZ vs Philadelphia, PA

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

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

City A
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Philadelphia, PA
Pop. 1,593,208
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Philadelphia
Total Spending
$6.4B
$89.7B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$56,272
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$64.4B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$40,425
Total Debt
$236.3M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,069
Population
503,390
1,593,208
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Philadelphia$1,505
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Philadelphia$7,082
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Philadelphia$1,215
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Philadelphia$593
Health
Mesa$147
Philadelphia$229

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaPhiladelphia
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)

MesaPhiladelphia
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
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health

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