Dallas, TX vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX spends 24% more per resident than Miami, FL: $34,849 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Dallas, TX edges Miami, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519 per resident, while Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 22% of total revenue in Dallas, TX and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Dallas spends 23.6% more per capita than Miami ($6,654/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $25 | $1,647 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,223 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $0 |
| Other | $584 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $305 | $7,399 |
| Highways & Roads | $201 | $0 |
| Education | $62 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $215 | $109 |
| Hospitals | $385 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $444 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $699 |
| Utilities | $833 | $1,295 |
| General Admin | $25,827 | $0 |
| Other | $5,059 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.