Atlanta, GA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX spends 37% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $34,849 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dallas, TX — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 6% of total revenue in Atlanta, GA and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Dallas spends 27.0% more per capita than Atlanta ($9,392/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $0 |
| Other | $5,461 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $201 |
| Education | $25 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $215 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $0 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $8,262 | $5,059 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.