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

San Jose, CA vs Mesa, AZ

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

Summary

San Jose spends 40.5% more per capita than Mesa ($5,166/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
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 Jose
Mesa
Total Spending
$18.0B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$12,768
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
1,001,176
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Mesa$953
Health
San Jose$609
Mesa$147

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseMesa
Property Tax
$40
$47
Sales Tax
$315
$463
Income Tax
$1,935
$1,376
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$1,383
Charges & Fees
$608
$3,334
Other
$3,519
$2,253

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseMesa
Fire Protection
$0
$422
Highways & Roads
$0
$192
Public Welfare
$810
$829
Health
$609
$147
Hospitals
$1,254
$537
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$953
Housing
$4,897
$4,190
Sewerage
$161
$38
Utilities
$2,533
$2,376
Other
$6,247
$3,082
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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