Fayetteville, AR vs Springdale, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fayetteville, AR spends 25% more per resident than Springdale, AR: $12,502 against $10,025. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Springdale, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Fayetteville, AR — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Springdale, AR carries the lighter load at $839 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 Springdale, AR leads with parks and recreation at $836.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 59% of total revenue in Fayetteville, AR and 21% in Springdale, AR.
Summary
Fayetteville spends 24.7% more per capita than Springdale ($2,477/person difference). Springdale, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $8 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $153 |
| Income Tax | $1,543 | $445 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,947 | $4,970 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,512 | $2,545 |
| Other | $3,271 | $2,342 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $423 | $268 |
| Education | $32 | $8 |
| Public Welfare | $719 | $747 |
| Health | $800 | $312 |
| Hospitals | $109 | $94 |
| Parks & Recreation | $599 | $836 |
| Housing | $2,095 | $2,318 |
| Sewerage | $156 | $140 |
| Utilities | $3,578 | $1,928 |
| Other | $3,991 | $3,374 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.