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

San Diego, CA vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

San Diego spends 239.2% more per capita than Mesa ($30,538/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
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
San Diego
Mesa
Total Spending
$59.9B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$12,768
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
1,383,987
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Mesa$953
Education
San Diego$2,005
Mesa$0
Health
San Diego$411
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoMesa
Property Tax
$124
$47
Sales Tax
$63
$463
Income Tax
$194
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$57
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$14
$3,334
Other
$3,801
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoMesa
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$422
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$192
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$829
Health
$411
$147
Hospitals
$0
$537
Parks & Recreation
$436
$953
Housing
$4,476
$4,190
Sewerage
$43
$38
Utilities
$11,704
$2,376
Other
$17,509
$3,082
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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