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

Arlington, TX vs Las Vegas, NV

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Arlington, TX spends 30% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $11,769 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Arlington, TX edges Las Vegas, NV on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 82/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Las Vegas, NV 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 Las Vegas, NV at $1,028.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.

Summary

Arlington spends 29.5% more per capita than Las Vegas ($2,684/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
Las Vegas, NV
Pop. 644,835
A
82/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Las Vegas
Total Spending
$4.6B
$5.9B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$9,085
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$5.3B
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$8,251
Total Debt
$233.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$594
$0
Population
393,469
644,835
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Arlington$0
Las Vegas$945
Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Las Vegas$280
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Las Vegas$45
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Las Vegas$1,028
Health
Arlington$219
Las Vegas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonLas Vegas
Property Tax
$0
$50
Sales Tax
$507
$386
Income Tax
$73
$0
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$1,137
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$0
Other
$3,897
$2,806

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonLas Vegas
Police
$0
$945
Fire Protection
$160
$280
Highways & Roads
$149
$45
Public Welfare
$826
$705
Health
$219
$0
Hospitals
$152
$356
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$1,028
Housing
$2,981
$23
Sewerage
$141
$332
Utilities
$1,385
$129
Other
$4,404
$5,243
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Las Vegas, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.