Fort Worth, TX vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX outspends Fort Worth, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $15,939, a 119% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fort Worth, TX edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 15% of total revenue in Fort Worth, TX and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Dallas spends 54.3% more per capita than Fort Worth ($18,910/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $198 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $851 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,002 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,594 | $0 |
| Other | $3,439 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $156 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $317 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $869 | $215 |
| Health | $235 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,680 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $708 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,217 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $267 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,674 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $4,817 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.