Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Milwaukee, WI vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

Milwaukee spends 52.1% more per capita than Mesa ($6,649/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Milwaukee, WI
Pop. 573,299
C
62/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency91
Revenue Diversity1
Trend Direction50
City B
Mesa, AZ
Pop. 503,390
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Milwaukee
Mesa
Total Spending
$11.1B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$19,417
$12,768
Total Revenue
$6.3B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$11,027
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
573,299
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Milwaukee$3,642
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
Milwaukee$802
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Milwaukee$23
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Milwaukee$2,206
Mesa$953
Health
Milwaukee$1
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeMesa
Property Tax
$0
$47
Sales Tax
$6,548
$463
Income Tax
$1
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$1,231
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,334
Other
$3,984
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MilwaukeeMesa
Police
$3,642
$0
Fire Protection
$802
$422
Highways & Roads
$23
$192
Public Welfare
$180
$829
Health
$1
$147
Hospitals
$0
$537
Parks & Recreation
$2,206
$953
Housing
$1,071
$4,190
Sewerage
$0
$38
Utilities
$1,866
$2,376
Interest on Debt
$1,608
$0
Other
$8,018
$3,082
C
Milwaukee, WI
Fiscal Health Score: 62/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities