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

Chicago, IL vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Chicago spends 193.6% more per capita than Arlington ($22,782/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
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
Chicago
Arlington
Total Spending
$94.0B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$11,769
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$60,454
Total Debt
$2.7B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$977
$594
Population
2,721,914
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Arlington$1,352
Health
Chicago$426
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoArlington
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$507
Income Tax
$229
$73
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,949
Other
$3,463
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoArlington
Fire Protection
$10,754
$160
Highways & Roads
$930
$149
Public Welfare
$1,858
$826
Health
$426
$219
Hospitals
$1,444
$152
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,352
Housing
$6,520
$2,981
Sewerage
$129
$141
Utilities
$2,983
$1,385
Other
$9,385
$4,404
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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