Conway, AR vs Little Rock, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Little Rock, AR spends 29% more per resident than Conway, AR: $17,625 against $13,672. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Little Rock, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Conway, AR — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Little Rock, AR reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Conway, AR carries $691 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Conway, AR leads with education at $3,719 per resident, while Little Rock, AR leads with parks and recreation at $2,054.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 48% of total revenue in Conway, AR and 25% in Little Rock, AR.
Summary
Little Rock spends 22.4% more per capita than Conway ($3,953/person difference). Little Rock, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $2 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $191 | $1,239 |
| Income Tax | $1,701 | $1,234 |
| Intergovernmental | $11,711 | $5,965 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,104 | $0 |
| Other | $3,132 | $5,700 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $304 | $521 |
| Highways & Roads | $123 | $55 |
| Education | $3,719 | $39 |
| Public Welfare | $678 | $986 |
| Hospitals | $195 | $427 |
| Parks & Recreation | $602 | $2,054 |
| Housing | $2,478 | $3,902 |
| Sewerage | $120 | $82 |
| Utilities | $2,674 | $1,001 |
| Other | $2,778 | $8,558 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.