Arlington, TX vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Miami, FL outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $28,195 versus $11,769, a 140% 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 Miami, FL — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Miami, FL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Miami spends 58.3% more per capita than Arlington ($16,426/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $0 |
| Other | $3,897 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $7,399 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $109 |
| Health | $219 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $699 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $1,295 |
| Other | $4,404 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.