Photo: Cygnusloop99 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Mesa run?
Mesa’s city government spent $840.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,640 per resident. Water and other utilities ($191.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mesa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Mesa
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: mesaaz.gov ↗
Mesa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on mesaaz.gov ↗.
About $1,640 per resident a year, or $4.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,273 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mesa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,273 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 47 Arizona cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,246, and the middle half spent $972–$1,696. Mesa spent more than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($80.9 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arizona cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mesa itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mesa reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,273 · 2023: $1,209 · 2024: $1,640.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,882 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,604 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.39% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Mesa’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Mesa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mesa →
One full-time city employee for every 116 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (512,498).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Tempe Union High School District
Mesa’s high school district, shared with Chandler, Guadalupe, Tempe. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,138 per pupil, $5,715 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Arizona districts overall: 35% local, 47% state, 18% federal.
Mesa Unified District · $12,066 per pupil
Gilbert Unified District · $10,767 per pupil
Queen Creek Unified District · $9,135 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Mesa’s votes are counted by county
Arizona reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mesa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Maricopa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.0%1,051,531 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.5%980,016 votesOthers: 1.5% (30,497 votes).
Most votes in Maricopa County: Donald J Trump
100% of Mesa lies in Maricopa County. Every 2024 race in Maricopa County is on the county’s page.
Maricopa County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Mesa sends 8 representatives to the Arizona House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorMark Freemanas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Arizona HouseMesa is split between 4 districts
- 3Arizona SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arizona
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Mesa compares with the towns next door
Mesa spent $1,273 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $687 to $1,999. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Creek | $687 | $2,754 |
| Apache Junction | $818 | $908 |
| Gilbert | $1,070 | $2,417 |
| Chandler | $1,224 | $2,258 |
| Tempe | $1,999 | $2,175 |
| Mesa | $1,273 | $1,604 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Mesa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mesa’s government
How much does Mesa spend per resident?
About $1,640 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,273 was more than 51% of 47 Arizona cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mesa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,604 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.39% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mesaaz.gov.
Who is the mayor of Mesa?
Mark Freeman, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on mesaaz.gov.
How did Mesa vote in 2024?
Arizona counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mesa alone. Maricopa County, where 100% of Mesa lies, voted Trump 51.0%, Harris 47.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mesa?
4,415 full-time and 432 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $34.8M (about $417.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mesa in the state legislature?
Mesa is split among 4 State House districts and 4 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Arizona Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mesa’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →