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

Dallas, TX vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Dallas spends 12.1% more per capita than Detroit ($3,762/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Dallas
Detroit
Total Spending
$45.3B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$34,849
$31,087
Total Revenue
$7.1B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$5,474
$44,533
Total Debt
$0
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$776
Population
1,300,642
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Dallas$1,519
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Dallas$305
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Dallas$201
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Dallas$0
Detroit$950
Education
Dallas$62
Detroit$0
Health
Dallas$0
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasDetroit
Property Tax
$9
$44
Sales Tax
$25
$200
Income Tax
$0
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$1,223
$291
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,228
Other
$584
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasDetroit
Police
$1,519
$0
Fire Protection
$305
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$201
$0
Education
$62
$0
Public Welfare
$215
$833
Health
$0
$396
Hospitals
$385
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$0
$950
Housing
$444
$5,791
Sewerage
$0
$451
Utilities
$833
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,068
General Admin
$25,827
$0
Other
$5,059
$13,216
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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