Arlington, TX vs Kansas City, MO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $22,820 versus $11,769, a 94% 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 52/100 (grade C) for Kansas City, MO — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Kansas City, MO reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Arlington, TX at $1,352 per resident and in Kansas City, MO at $1,309.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas Kansas City, MO relies most on other revenue at 835%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 48.4% more per capita than Arlington ($11,050/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 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $7 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $3,794 |
| Other | $3,897 | $11,150 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $119 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $3,018 |
| Health | $219 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $1,849 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,309 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $4,681 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $3,123 |
| Other | $4,404 | $8,721 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.