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

San Francisco, CA vs Mesa, AZ

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

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

City A
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
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
San Francisco
Mesa
Total Spending
$156.7B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$12,768
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$35,688
Total Debt
$1.7B
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$469
Population
851,036
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Mesa$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Mesa$953
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoMesa
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)

San FranciscoMesa
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
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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