Arlington, TX vs Tucson, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tucson, AZ spends 34% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $15,759 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 55/100 (grade C) for Tucson, AZ — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $1,540 for Tucson, AZ. 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 Tucson, AZ at $1,229.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 41% of total revenue in Arlington, TX and 100% in Tucson, AZ.
Summary
Tucson spends 25.3% more per capita than Arlington ($3,990/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 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $507 | $309 |
| Income Tax | $73 | $1,107 |
| Intergovernmental | $25,062 | $23,276 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,949 | $4,534 |
| Other | $3,897 | $952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $160 | $330 |
| Highways & Roads | $149 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $826 | $1,181 |
| Health | $219 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $152 | $1,314 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,352 | $1,229 |
| Housing | $2,981 | $3,091 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,385 | $3,555 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,735 |
| Other | $4,404 | $3,322 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.