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

Arlington, TX vs Boston, MA

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

Summary

Boston spends 83.7% more per capita than Arlington ($60,529/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50
City B
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Boston
Total Spending
$4.6B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$72,299
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$31,243
Total Debt
$233.8M
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$594
$445
Population
393,469
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Boston$711
Education
Arlington$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Arlington$219
Boston$725

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonBoston
Sales Tax
$507
$78
Income Tax
$73
$0
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$5,357
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$2,784
Other
$3,897
$4,557

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonBoston
Fire Protection
$160
$1,107
Highways & Roads
$149
$594
Education
$0
$30,742
Public Welfare
$826
$1,110
Health
$219
$725
Hospitals
$152
$2,584
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$711
Housing
$2,981
$6,614
Sewerage
$141
$355
Utilities
$1,385
$3,402
General Admin
$0
$5,401
Other
$4,404
$18,955
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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