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

Las Vegas, NV vs Arlington, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Arlington, TX spends 30% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $11,769 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Arlington, TX edges Las Vegas, NV on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 82/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Las Vegas, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Las Vegas, NV at $1,028 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Las Vegas, NV at 34% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.

Summary

Arlington spends 22.8% more per capita than Las Vegas ($2,684/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Las Vegas, NV
Pop. 644,835
A
82/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
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
Las Vegas
Arlington
Total Spending
$5.9B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$9,085
$11,769
Total Revenue
$5.3B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$8,251
$60,454
Total Debt
$0
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$594
Population
644,835
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Las Vegas$945
Arlington$0
Fire Protection
Las Vegas$280
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Las Vegas$45
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Las Vegas$1,028
Arlington$1,352
Health
Las Vegas$0
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Las VegasArlington
Property Tax
$50
$0
Sales Tax
$386
$507
Income Tax
$0
$73
Intergovernmental
$1,137
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,949
Other
$2,806
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Las VegasArlington
Police
$945
$0
Fire Protection
$280
$160
Highways & Roads
$45
$149
Public Welfare
$705
$826
Health
$0
$219
Hospitals
$356
$152
Parks & Recreation
$1,028
$1,352
Housing
$23
$2,981
Sewerage
$332
$141
Utilities
$129
$1,385
Other
$5,243
$4,404
A
Las Vegas, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.