Sacramento, CA vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $12,768, a 456% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 33-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Mesa, AZ carries $469 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Mesa, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $953.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 456.2% more per capita than Mesa ($58,252/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 | $1,465 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $3,334 |
| Other | $5,072 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $192 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $829 |
| Health | $18 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $953 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $38 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $3,082 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.