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

Mesa, AZ vs San Diego, CA

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

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

City A
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
San Diego
Total Spending
$6.4B
$59.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$43,306
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$13.4B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$9,662
Total Debt
$236.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$469
$0
Population
503,390
1,383,987
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
San Diego$3,335
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
San Diego$1,278
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
San Diego$1,408
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
San Diego$436
Education
Mesa$0
San Diego$2,005
Health
Mesa$147
San Diego$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSan Diego
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)

MesaSan Diego
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
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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