Jacksonville, FL vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX and Jacksonville, FL spend within 10.8% of each other per resident — $34,849 versus $31,456 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Dallas, TX edges Jacksonville, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Dallas spends 9.7% more per capita than Jacksonville ($3,393/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $0 |
| Other | $4,705 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $215 |
| Health | $332 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $0 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $9,771 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.