Wichita, KS vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Mesa, AZ spends 60% more per resident than Wichita, KS: $12,768 against $7,986. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Wichita, KS and Mesa, AZ both land at 90/100 (grade A and A respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $469 for Mesa, AZ. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Wichita, KS at $874 per resident and in Mesa, AZ at $953.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Wichita, KS at 14% of total revenue, whereas Mesa, AZ relies most on charges and fees at 9%.
Summary
Mesa spends 37.5% more per capita than Wichita ($4,782/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $246 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $3,334 |
| Other | $2,783 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $152 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $192 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $829 |
| Health | $254 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $953 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $38 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $2,376 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $0 |
| Other | $2,111 | $3,082 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.