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

Detroit, MI vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Detroit spends 164.1% more per capita than Arlington ($19,318/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Arlington
Total Spending
$19.8B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$11,769
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$60,454
Total Debt
$493.9M
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$776
$594
Population
636,787
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Arlington$1,352
Health
Detroit$396
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitArlington
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$507
Income Tax
$1,045
$73
Intergovernmental
$291
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,949
Other
$6,892
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitArlington
Fire Protection
$2,429
$160
Highways & Roads
$0
$149
Public Welfare
$833
$826
Health
$396
$219
Hospitals
$2,217
$152
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,352
Housing
$5,791
$2,981
Sewerage
$451
$141
Utilities
$2,737
$1,385
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$4,404
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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