Arlington, TX vs San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $11,769, a 1465% 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 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $2,031 for San Francisco, CA. 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 San Francisco, CA at $4,119.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 7% in San Francisco, CA.
Summary
San Francisco spends 93.6% more per capita than Arlington ($172,362/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 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $7,961 |
| Other | $3,897 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $160 | $2,281 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $2,203 |
| Health | $219 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $0 | $14,899 |
| Other | $4,404 | $93,702 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.