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

Arlington, TX vs Dallas, TX

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

Summary

Dallas spends 66.2% more per capita than Arlington ($23,080/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
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Dallas
Total Spending
$4.6B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$34,849
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$5,474
Total Debt
$233.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$594
$0
Population
393,469
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Arlington$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Dallas$0
Education
Arlington$0
Dallas$62
Health
Arlington$219
Dallas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonDallas
Property Tax
$0
$9
Sales Tax
$507
$25
Income Tax
$73
$0
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$0
Other
$3,897
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonDallas
Police
$0
$1,519
Fire Protection
$160
$305
Highways & Roads
$149
$201
Education
$0
$62
Public Welfare
$826
$215
Health
$219
$0
Hospitals
$152
$385
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$0
Housing
$2,981
$444
Sewerage
$141
$0
Utilities
$1,385
$833
General Admin
$0
$25,827
Other
$4,404
$5,059
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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