San Antonio, TX vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Antonio, TX spends 33% more per resident than Mesa, AZ: $16,943 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 68/100 (grade B) for San Antonio, TX — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Antonio, TX at $1,045 per resident and in Mesa, AZ at $953.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Antonio, TX at 17% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
San Antonio spends 32.7% more per capita than Mesa ($4,175/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 | $9 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $3,334 |
| Other | $3,184 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $396 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $192 |
| Education | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $829 |
| Health | $293 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $953 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $38 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $2,376 |
| Other | $5,352 | $3,082 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.