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

Dallas, TX vs Tulsa, OK

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Dallas, TX outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $5,250, a 564% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Dallas, TX edges Tulsa, OK on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (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 Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.

Summary

Dallas spends 563.8% more per capita than Tulsa ($29,599/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

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
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Dallas
Tulsa
Total Spending
$45.3B
$2.2B
Spending / Capita
$34,849
$5,250
Total Revenue
$7.1B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$5,474
$0
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,300,642
411,938
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Dallas$1,519
Tulsa$628
Fire Protection
Dallas$305
Tulsa$196
Highways & Roads
Dallas$201
Tulsa$257
Parks & Recreation
Dallas$0
Tulsa$154
Education
Dallas$62
Tulsa$0
Health
Dallas$0
Tulsa$762

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasTulsa
Property Tax
$9
$0
Sales Tax
$25
$97
Intergovernmental
$1,223
$0
Other
$584
$53

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasTulsa
Police
$1,519
$628
Fire Protection
$305
$196
Highways & Roads
$201
$257
Education
$62
$0
Public Welfare
$215
$86
Health
$0
$762
Hospitals
$385
$0
Parks & Recreation
$0
$154
Housing
$444
$350
Sewerage
$0
$27
Utilities
$833
$41
General Admin
$25,827
$0
Other
$5,059
$2,748
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.