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

Austin, TX vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Austin spends 85.0% more per capita than Arlington ($10,003/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Arlington
Total Spending
$20.9B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$11,769
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$60,454
Total Debt
$1.2B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$594
Population
958,202
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Arlington$1,352
Education
Austin$51
Arlington$0
Health
Austin$517
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinArlington
Sales Tax
$526
$507
Income Tax
$1,465
$73
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$2,949
Other
$5,645
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinArlington
Fire Protection
$634
$160
Highways & Roads
$0
$149
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$826
Health
$517
$219
Hospitals
$664
$152
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$1,352
Housing
$3,741
$2,981
Sewerage
$865
$141
Utilities
$3,264
$1,385
Other
$8,399
$4,404
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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