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

Mesa, AZ vs Phoenix, AZ

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

Summary

Phoenix spends 19.2% more per capita than Mesa ($3,025/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
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Phoenix
Total Spending
$6.4B
$25.4B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$15,793
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$81.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$50,709
Total Debt
$236.3M
$1.9B
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,156
Population
503,390
1,609,456
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Phoenix$170
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Phoenix$86
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Phoenix$652
Education
Mesa$0
Phoenix$214
Health
Mesa$147
Phoenix$258

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaPhoenix
Property Tax
$47
$7
Sales Tax
$463
$338
Income Tax
$1,376
$1,260
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$50,709
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,998
Other
$2,253
$2,038

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaPhoenix
Fire Protection
$422
$170
Highways & Roads
$192
$86
Education
$0
$214
Public Welfare
$829
$507
Health
$147
$258
Hospitals
$537
$1,521
Parks & Recreation
$953
$652
Housing
$4,190
$3,879
Sewerage
$38
$388
Utilities
$2,376
$2,480
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,760
Other
$3,082
$3,878
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

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