Arlington, TX vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $11,769, a 167% 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 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 14% in Jacksonville, FL.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 62.6% more per capita than Arlington ($19,687/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $2,119 |
| Other | $3,897 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $160 | $9,436 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $486 |
| Health | $219 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $176 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,942 |
| Other | $4,404 | $9,771 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.