Fresno, CA vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $11,769, a 269% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 33-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fresno, CA at 19% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.