Mesa, AZ vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $12,768, a 239% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 37-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mesa, AZ carries $469 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 70.5% more per capita than Mesa ($30,538/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $47 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $14 |
| Other | $2,253 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $700 |
| Health | $147 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $436 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $43 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $11,704 |
| Other | $3,082 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.