Fort Worth, TX vs Plano, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Plano, TX and Fort Worth, TX spend within 5.7% of each other per resident — $16,842 versus $15,939 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Plano, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 63/100 (grade C) for Fort Worth, TX — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Plano, TX carries the lighter load at $663 per resident versus $1,921 for Fort Worth, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fort Worth, TX at $708 per resident and in Plano, TX at $1,518.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fort Worth, TX at 15% of total revenue, whereas Plano, TX relies most on charges and fees at 20%.
Summary
Plano spends 5.4% more per capita than Fort Worth ($902/person difference). Plano, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $198 | $644 |
| Income Tax | $851 | $731 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,002 | $2,683 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,594 | $3,976 |
| Other | $3,439 | $3,004 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $156 | $125 |
| Highways & Roads | $317 | $319 |
| Education | $0 | $34 |
| Public Welfare | $869 | $283 |
| Health | $235 | $463 |
| Hospitals | $1,680 | $194 |
| Parks & Recreation | $708 | $1,518 |
| Housing | $4,217 | $3,356 |
| Sewerage | $267 | $145 |
| Utilities | $2,674 | $4,137 |
| Other | $4,817 | $6,268 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.