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

Mesa, AZ vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 93.1% more per capita than Mesa ($171,363/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 Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
San Francisco
Total Spending
$6.4B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$184,131
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$272,907
Total Debt
$236.3M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$469
$2,031
Population
503,390
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Mesa$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Mesa$422
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Mesa$147
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSan Francisco
Property Tax
$47
$148
Sales Tax
$463
$3,028
Income Tax
$1,376
$269
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$7,961
Other
$2,253
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$422
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Public Welfare
$829
$2,203
Health
$147
$1,911
Hospitals
$537
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$953
$4,119
Housing
$4,190
$9,315
Sewerage
$38
$1,423
Utilities
$2,376
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$3,082
$93,702
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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