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

Charlotte, NC vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 34.7% more per capita than Arlington ($4,084/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Charlotte
Arlington
Total Spending
$13.9B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$11,769
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$60,454
Total Debt
$2.4B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$594
Population
875,045
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Arlington$1,352
Health
Charlotte$0
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteArlington
Sales Tax
$541
$507
Income Tax
$366
$73
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$2,949
Other
$4,866
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteArlington
Fire Protection
$463
$160
Highways & Roads
$41
$149
Public Welfare
$672
$826
Health
$0
$219
Hospitals
$1,243
$152
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$1,352
Housing
$3,944
$2,981
Sewerage
$0
$141
Utilities
$2,244
$1,385
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$0
Other
$3,448
$4,404
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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