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

Mesa, AZ vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 63.0% more per capita than Mesa ($21,694/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
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Seattle
Total Spending
$6.4B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$34,463
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$76,958
Total Debt
$236.3M
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,100
Population
503,390
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Seattle$3,923
Education
Mesa$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Mesa$147
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSeattle
Property Tax
$47
$1,831
Sales Tax
$463
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,376
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$3,960
Other
$2,253
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSeattle
Fire Protection
$422
$210
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$829
$3,439
Health
$147
$1,131
Hospitals
$537
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$953
$3,923
Housing
$4,190
$3,727
Sewerage
$38
$952
Utilities
$2,376
$6,489
Other
$3,082
$11,260
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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