Long Beach, CA vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $11,769, a 191% 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 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA 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 Long Beach, CA at $698 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 191.0% more per capita than Arlington ($22,481/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)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $2,949 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $826 |
| Health | $477 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $141 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.