San Francisco, CA vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Mesa, AZ by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $12,768, a 1342% 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 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 42-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Mesa, AZ carries the lighter load at $469 per resident versus $2,031 for San Francisco, CA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Francisco, CA at $4,119 per resident and in Mesa, AZ at $953.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Francisco, CA at 7% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
San Francisco spends 1342.1% more per capita than Mesa ($171,363/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 | $148 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $3,334 |
| Other | $18,918 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $192 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $829 |
| Health | $1,911 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $953 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $38 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $0 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $0 |
| Other | $93,702 | $3,082 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.