Arlington, TX vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $11,769, a 191% 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 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA 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 Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 65.6% more per capita than Arlington ($22,481/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 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $2,424 |
| Other | $3,897 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $1,317 |
| Health | $219 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $698 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $86 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,718 |
| Other | $4,404 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.