Little Rock, AR vs Fayetteville, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Little Rock, AR spends 41% more per resident than Fayetteville, AR: $17,625 against $12,502. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Little Rock, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Fayetteville, AR — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Little Rock, AR reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fayetteville, AR carries $925 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Little Rock, AR leads with parks and recreation at $2,054 per resident, while Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 25% of total revenue in Little Rock, AR and 59% in Fayetteville, AR.
Summary
Little Rock spends 41.0% more per capita than Fayetteville ($5,123/person difference). Little Rock, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $8 |
| Sales Tax | $1,239 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $1,234 | $1,543 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,965 | $7,947 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,512 |
| Other | $5,700 | $3,271 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $521 | $423 |
| Highways & Roads | $55 | $0 |
| Education | $39 | $32 |
| Public Welfare | $986 | $719 |
| Health | $0 | $800 |
| Hospitals | $427 | $109 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,054 | $599 |
| Housing | $3,902 | $2,095 |
| Sewerage | $82 | $156 |
| Utilities | $1,001 | $3,578 |
| Other | $8,558 | $3,991 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.