Arlington, TX vs Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque, NM spends 46% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $17,237 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Arlington, TX edges Albuquerque, NM on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 81/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $613 for Albuquerque, NM. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Arlington, TX at $1,352 per resident and in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.