Memphis, TN vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX spends 58% more per resident than Memphis, TN: $34,849 against $22,111. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Memphis, TN holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dallas, TX — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Memphis, TN carries $303 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Memphis, TN leads with parks and recreation at $1,397 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Memphis, TN and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Dallas spends 36.6% more per capita than Memphis ($12,738/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $496 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1,218 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,065 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,077 | $0 |
| Other | $3,994 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $469 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $277 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $630 | $215 |
| Health | $391 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,677 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,397 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,683 | $444 |
| Utilities | $2,578 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,158 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $8,850 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.