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

Houston, TX vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

Houston spends 22.4% more per capita than Arlington ($2,631/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Houston
Arlington
Total Spending
$33.1B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$11,769
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$60,454
Total Debt
$2.0B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$863
$594
Population
2,296,253
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Arlington$1,352
Health
Houston$210
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonArlington
Sales Tax
$181
$507
Income Tax
$39
$73
Intergovernmental
$33
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$2,949
Other
$3,960
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonArlington
Fire Protection
$295
$160
Highways & Roads
$175
$149
Public Welfare
$533
$826
Health
$210
$219
Hospitals
$511
$152
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,352
Housing
$4,288
$2,981
Sewerage
$386
$141
Utilities
$1,339
$1,385
Other
$6,301
$4,404
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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