Fayetteville, AR vs Jonesboro, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fayetteville, AR spends 38% more per resident than Jonesboro, AR: $12,502 against $9,056. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fayetteville, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 39/100 (grade D) for Jonesboro, AR — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Fayetteville, AR carries the lighter load at $925 per resident versus $2,919 for Jonesboro, AR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800 per resident, while Jonesboro, AR leads with parks and recreation at $523.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 59% of total revenue in Fayetteville, AR and 145% in Jonesboro, AR.
Summary
Fayetteville spends 38.0% more per capita than Jonesboro ($3,446/person difference). Fayetteville, AR 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 | $8 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $97 |
| Income Tax | $1,543 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,947 | $4,523 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,512 | $1,640 |
| Other | $3,271 | $1,377 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $423 | $80 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $121 |
| Education | $32 | $42 |
| Public Welfare | $719 | $632 |
| Health | $800 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $109 | $108 |
| Parks & Recreation | $599 | $523 |
| Housing | $2,095 | $2,058 |
| Sewerage | $156 | $122 |
| Utilities | $3,578 | $1,520 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $191 |
| Other | $3,991 | $3,659 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.