Colorado Springs, CO vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Colorado Springs, CO and Arlington, TX spend within 12.3% of each other per resident — $13,222 versus $11,769 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Colorado Springs spends 12.3% more per capita than Arlington ($1,453/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $257 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $2,949 |
| Other | $2,678 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $826 |
| Health | $0 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $141 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $0 |
| Other | $5,120 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.