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

Austin, TX vs Dallas, TX

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

Summary

Dallas spends 37.5% more per capita than Austin ($13,077/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

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
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Dallas
Total Spending
$20.9B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$34,849
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$5,474
Total Debt
$1.2B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$0
Population
958,202
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Austin$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Austin$634
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Dallas$0
Education
Austin$51
Dallas$62
Health
Austin$517
Dallas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinDallas
Property Tax
$0
$9
Sales Tax
$526
$25
Income Tax
$1,465
$0
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$0
Other
$5,645
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinDallas
Police
$0
$1,519
Fire Protection
$634
$305
Highways & Roads
$0
$201
Education
$51
$62
Public Welfare
$1,837
$215
Health
$517
$0
Hospitals
$664
$385
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$0
Housing
$3,741
$444
Sewerage
$865
$0
Utilities
$3,264
$833
General Admin
$0
$25,827
Other
$8,399
$5,059
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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