Surprise, AZ vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Surprise spends 13.1% more per capita than Mesa ($1,668/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Surprise
Mesa
Total Spending
$2.1B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$14,436
$12,768
Total Revenue
$502.8M
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$3,454
$35,688
Total Debt
$45.0M
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$309
$469
Population
145,591
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Surprise$870
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Surprise$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Surprise$2,032
Mesa$953
Health
Surprise$0
Mesa$147
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
SurpriseMesa
| Property Tax | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $100 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $673 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,454 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,036 | $3,334 |
| Other | $2,972 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
SurpriseMesa
| Fire Protection | $870 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $192 |
| Public Welfare | $2,361 | $829 |
| Health | $0 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $1,200 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,032 | $953 |
| Housing | $2,769 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $38 |
| Utilities | $1,764 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $38 | $0 |
| Other | $3,403 | $3,082 |
C
Surprise, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health