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

Fresno, CA vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Fresno spends 268.6% more per capita than Arlington ($31,618/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
Arlington
Total Spending
$23.5B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$11,769
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$60,454
Total Debt
$0
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$594
Population
541,528
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Arlington$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Arlington$1,352
Education
Fresno$3,942
Arlington$0
Health
Fresno$599
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoArlington
Property Tax
$337
$0
Sales Tax
$19
$507
Income Tax
$501
$73
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$11
$2,949
Other
$2,070
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoArlington
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$160
Highways & Roads
$0
$149
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$826
Health
$599
$219
Hospitals
$0
$152
Parks & Recreation
$76
$1,352
Housing
$2,856
$2,981
Sewerage
$0
$141
Utilities
$15,340
$1,385
Interest on Debt
$255
$0
Other
$14,545
$4,404
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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