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

Mesa, AZ vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Raleigh spends 8.2% more per capita than Mesa ($1,143/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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Raleigh
Total Spending
$6.4B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$13,911
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$29,940
Total Debt
$236.3M
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$469
$906
Population
503,390
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Mesa$0
Raleigh$6
Health
Mesa$147
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaRaleigh
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$858
Income Tax
$1,376
$806
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$2,681
Other
$2,253
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaRaleigh
Fire Protection
$422
$277
Highways & Roads
$192
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$829
$498
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$669
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,391
Housing
$4,190
$2,712
Sewerage
$38
$281
Utilities
$2,376
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$3,082
$3,646
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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