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

Mesa, AZ vs Sacramento, CA

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

Summary

Sacramento spends 82.0% more per capita than Mesa ($58,252/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Sacramento
Total Spending
$6.4B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$71,020
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$63,682
Total Debt
$236.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$469
$0
Population
503,390
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Sacramento$2,466
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Sacramento$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Mesa$0
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Mesa$147
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSacramento
Property Tax
$47
$1,465
Sales Tax
$463
$378
Income Tax
$1,376
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$3,239
Other
$2,253
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$422
$2,466
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Education
$0
$2,684
Public Welfare
$829
$3,470
Health
$147
$18
Hospitals
$537
$0
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,437
Housing
$4,190
$8,577
Sewerage
$38
$103
Utilities
$2,376
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$0
$162
Other
$3,082
$26,782
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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