Arlington, TX vs Colorado Springs, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Colorado Springs, CO and Arlington, TX spend within 12.3% of each other per resident — $13,222 versus $11,769 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 13% in Colorado Springs, CO.
Summary
Colorado Springs spends 11.0% more per capita than Arlington ($1,453/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 | $257 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $6,902 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $5,676 |
| Other | $3,897 | $2,678 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $1,266 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $575 |
| Health | $219 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $416 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $376 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $2,713 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $2,566 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $190 |
| Other | $4,404 | $5,120 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.