Arlington, TX vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $11,769, a 514% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Boston, MA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Boston, MA carries the lighter load at $445 per resident versus $594 for Arlington, TX. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 17% in Boston, MA.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.