Arlington, TX vs Oklahoma City, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oklahoma City, OK spends 54% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $18,074 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. 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 Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 19% in Oklahoma City, OK.
Summary
Oklahoma City spends 34.9% more per capita than Arlington ($6,304/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 | $763 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $1,037 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $6,852 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $3,256 |
| Other | $3,897 | $1,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $513 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $1,525 |
| Health | $219 | $5 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $2,044 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $2,014 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $2,857 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $4,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $707 |
| Other | $4,404 | $3,886 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.