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

Sacramento, CA vs Mesa, AZ

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

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

City A
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
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
Sacramento
Mesa
Total Spending
$37.2B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$71,020
$12,768
Total Revenue
$33.3B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$63,682
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
523,600
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Sacramento$5,402
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
Sacramento$2,466
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Sacramento$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Sacramento$1,437
Mesa$953
Education
Sacramento$2,684
Mesa$0
Health
Sacramento$18
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SacramentoMesa
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)

SacramentoMesa
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
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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