Arlington, TX vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $11,769, a 268% 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 San Diego, CA — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA 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 San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 72.8% more per capita than Arlington ($31,537/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 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $14 |
| Other | $3,897 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $160 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $700 |
| Health | $219 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $436 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $43 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $11,704 |
| Other | $4,404 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.