Oklahoma City, OK vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oklahoma City, OK spends 42% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $18,074 against $12,768. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Mesa, AZ holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014 per resident and in Mesa, AZ at $953.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oklahoma City, OK at 19% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
Oklahoma City spends 41.6% more per capita than Mesa ($5,305/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 | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $763 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $1,037 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,852 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,256 | $3,334 |
| Other | $1,836 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $513 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $192 |
| Public Welfare | $1,525 | $829 |
| Health | $5 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $2,044 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,014 | $953 |
| Housing | $2,857 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $38 |
| Utilities | $4,523 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $707 | $0 |
| Other | $3,886 | $3,082 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.