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

Mesa, AZ vs Surprise, AZ

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

Summary

Surprise spends 11.6% more per capita than Mesa ($1,668/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
Surprise, AZ
Pop. 145,591
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Surprise
Total Spending
$6.4B
$2.1B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$14,436
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$502.8M
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$3,454
Total Debt
$236.3M
$45.0M
Debt / Capita
$469
$309
Population
503,390
145,591
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Surprise$870
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Surprise$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Surprise$2,032
Health
Mesa$147
Surprise$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSurprise
Property Tax
$47
$0
Sales Tax
$463
$100
Income Tax
$1,376
$673
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$3,454
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$1,036
Other
$2,253
$2,972

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaSurprise
Fire Protection
$422
$870
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Public Welfare
$829
$2,361
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$1,200
Parks & Recreation
$953
$2,032
Housing
$4,190
$2,769
Sewerage
$38
$0
Utilities
$2,376
$1,764
Interest on Debt
$0
$38
Other
$3,082
$3,403
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

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