Jacksonville, FL vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $11,769, a 167% 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 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 167.3% more per capita than Arlington ($19,687/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 | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $2,949 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $826 |
| Health | $332 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $141 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $4,404 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.