Austin, TX vs Plano, TX

Austin, TX spends 29% more per resident than Plano, TX: $21,772 against $16,842. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Austin, TX and Plano, TX both land at 75/100 (grade B and B respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.

On debt, Plano, TX carries the lighter load at $663 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Austin, TX at $1,801 per resident and in Plano, TX at $1,518.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Austin, TX at 18% of total revenue, whereas Plano, TX relies most on charges and fees at 20%.