Mesa, AZ vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $12,768, a 233% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 43-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $469 for Mesa, AZ. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Mesa, AZ at 9% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 70.0% more per capita than Mesa ($29,747/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $47 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $463 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $1,376 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,383 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,334 | $1,462 |
| Other | $2,253 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $422 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $192 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $829 | $2,071 |
| Health | $147 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $537 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $953 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $4,190 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $38 | $140 |
| Utilities | $2,376 | $3,523 |
| Other | $3,082 | $7,978 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.