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

Mesa, AZ vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Portland spends 46.1% more per capita than Mesa ($10,907/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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Portland
Total Spending
$6.4B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$23,675
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$47,970
Total Debt
$236.3M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,574
Population
503,390
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Portland$2,477
Health
Mesa$147
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaPortland
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$1,695
Income Tax
$1,376
$130
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$3,883
Other
$2,253
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaPortland
Fire Protection
$422
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$192
$139
Public Welfare
$829
$3,607
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$953
$2,477
Housing
$4,190
$3,694
Sewerage
$38
$630
Utilities
$2,376
$1,845
Other
$3,082
$6,689
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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