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

Mesa, AZ vs Tucson, AZ

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

Summary

Tucson spends 19.0% more per capita than Mesa ($2,991/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
Tucson, AZ
Pop. 541,033
C
55/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden10
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Mesa
Tucson
Total Spending
$6.4B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$12,768
$15,759
Total Revenue
$18.0B
$12.6B
Revenue / Capita
$35,688
$23,276
Total Debt
$236.3M
$833.1M
Debt / Capita
$469
$1,540
Population
503,390
541,033
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Mesa$422
Tucson$330
Highways & Roads
Mesa$192
Tucson$0
Parks & Recreation
Mesa$953
Tucson$1,229
Health
Mesa$147
Tucson$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaTucson
Property Tax
$47
$5
Sales Tax
$463
$309
Income Tax
$1,376
$1,107
Intergovernmental
$1,383
$23,276
Charges & Fees
$3,334
$4,534
Other
$2,253
$952

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MesaTucson
Fire Protection
$422
$330
Highways & Roads
$192
$0
Public Welfare
$829
$1,181
Health
$147
$0
Hospitals
$537
$1,314
Parks & Recreation
$953
$1,229
Housing
$4,190
$3,091
Sewerage
$38
$0
Utilities
$2,376
$3,555
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,735
Other
$3,082
$3,322
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Tucson, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

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