Arlington, TX vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA spends 52% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $17,934 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Arlington, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 83/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. 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 Jose, CA at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Arlington, TX at 41% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
San Jose spends 34.4% more per capita than Arlington ($6,165/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $608 |
| Other | $3,897 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $810 |
| Health | $219 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $161 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $2,533 |
| Other | $4,404 | $6,247 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.