Jonesboro, AR vs Bentonville, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Bentonville, AR spends 60% more per resident than Jonesboro, AR: $14,446 against $9,056. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bentonville, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 73/100 (grade B) against 39/100 (grade D) for Jonesboro, AR — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Bentonville, AR carries the lighter load at $246 per resident versus $2,919 for Jonesboro, AR. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Jonesboro, AR at $523 per resident and in Bentonville, AR at $1,751.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jonesboro, AR at 145% of total revenue, whereas Bentonville, AR relies most on other revenue at 20%.
Summary
Bentonville spends 37.3% more per capita than Jonesboro ($5,389/person difference). Bentonville, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $25 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $97 | $752 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $1,252 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,523 | $2,248 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,640 | $2,597 |
| Other | $1,377 | $3,321 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $80 | $226 |
| Highways & Roads | $121 | $0 |
| Education | $42 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $632 | $890 |
| Health | $0 | $352 |
| Hospitals | $108 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $523 | $1,751 |
| Housing | $2,058 | $2,628 |
| Sewerage | $122 | $177 |
| Utilities | $1,520 | $3,488 |
| Interest on Debt | $191 | $0 |
| Other | $3,659 | $4,935 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.