Arlington, TX vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $11,769, a 378% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 38-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 79.1% more per capita than Arlington ($44,503/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 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,897 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $160 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $1,456 |
| Health | $219 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $593 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $325 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $4,404 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.