Bentonville, AR vs Fayetteville, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Bentonville, AR spends 16% more per resident than Fayetteville, AR: $14,446 against $12,502. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bentonville, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 73/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Fayetteville, AR — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Bentonville, AR carries the lighter load at $246 per resident versus $925 for Fayetteville, AR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Bentonville, AR leads with parks and recreation at $1,751 per resident, while Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Bentonville, AR at 20% of total revenue, whereas Fayetteville, AR relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 59%.
Summary
Bentonville spends 15.5% more per capita than Fayetteville ($1,943/person difference). Bentonville, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $8 |
| Sales Tax | $752 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $1,252 | $1,543 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,248 | $7,947 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,597 | $2,512 |
| Other | $3,321 | $3,271 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $226 | $423 |
| Education | $0 | $32 |
| Public Welfare | $890 | $719 |
| Health | $352 | $800 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $109 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,751 | $599 |
| Housing | $2,628 | $2,095 |
| Sewerage | $177 | $156 |
| Utilities | $3,488 | $3,578 |
| Other | $4,935 | $3,991 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.