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

Fayetteville, AR vs Conway, AR

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Conway, AR and Fayetteville, AR spend within 9.4% of each other per resident — $13,672 versus $12,502 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Fayetteville, AR and Conway, AR both land at 57/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.

On debt, Conway, AR carries the lighter load at $691 per resident versus $925 for Fayetteville, AR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800 per resident, while Conway, AR leads with education at $3,719.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 59% of total revenue in Fayetteville, AR and 48% in Conway, AR.

Summary

Conway spends 8.6% more per capita than Fayetteville ($1,170/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fayetteville, AR
Pop. 95,022
C
57/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity11
Trend Direction50
City B
Conway, AR
Pop. 65,159
C
57/100
Budget Balance57
Debt Burden11
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency91
Revenue Diversity66
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fayetteville
Conway
Total Spending
$1.2B
$890.9M
Spending / Capita
$12,502
$13,672
Total Revenue
$1.3B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$13,405
$24,189
Total Debt
$87.9M
$45.0M
Debt / Capita
$925
$691
Population
95,022
65,159
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fayetteville$423
Conway$304
Highways & Roads
Fayetteville$0
Conway$123
Parks & Recreation
Fayetteville$599
Conway$602
Education
Fayetteville$32
Conway$3,719
Health
Fayetteville$800
Conway$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleConway
Property Tax
$8
$2
Sales Tax
$293
$191
Income Tax
$1,543
$1,701
Intergovernmental
$7,947
$11,711
Charges & Fees
$2,512
$2,104
Other
$3,271
$3,132

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleConway
Fire Protection
$423
$304
Highways & Roads
$0
$123
Education
$32
$3,719
Public Welfare
$719
$678
Health
$800
$0
Hospitals
$109
$195
Parks & Recreation
$599
$602
Housing
$2,095
$2,478
Sewerage
$156
$120
Utilities
$3,578
$2,674
Other
$3,991
$2,778
C
Fayetteville, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
C
Conway, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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