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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Arlington, TX vs Tulsa, OK

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Arlington, TX outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $11,769 versus $5,250, a 124% 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 56/100 (grade C) for Tulsa, OK — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Tulsa, OK 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 Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.

Summary

Arlington spends 124.2% more per capita than Tulsa ($6,519/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50
City B
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Tulsa
Total Spending
$4.6B
$2.2B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$5,250
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$0
Total Debt
$233.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$594
$0
Population
393,469
411,938
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Arlington$0
Tulsa$628
Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Tulsa$196
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Tulsa$257
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Tulsa$154
Health
Arlington$219
Tulsa$762

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonTulsa
Sales Tax
$507
$97
Income Tax
$73
$0
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$0
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$0
Other
$3,897
$53

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonTulsa
Police
$0
$628
Fire Protection
$160
$196
Highways & Roads
$149
$257
Public Welfare
$826
$86
Health
$219
$762
Hospitals
$152
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$154
Housing
$2,981
$350
Sewerage
$141
$27
Utilities
$1,385
$41
Other
$4,404
$2,748
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.