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

New York, NY vs Dallas, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

New York, NY outspends Dallas, TX by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $34,849, a 271% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

New York, NY edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 64/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while New York, NY carries $462 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: New York, NY leads with education at $37,892 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in New York, NY and 22% in Dallas, TX.

Summary

New York spends 270.5% more per capita than Dallas ($94,270/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
New York
Dallas
Total Spending
$1113.3B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$129,119
$34,849
Total Revenue
$1271.6B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$147,477
$5,474
Total Debt
$4.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$462
$0
Population
8,622,467
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New York$1,512
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
New York$11,050
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
New York$221
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
New York$868
Dallas$0
Education
New York$37,892
Dallas$62
Health
New York$417
Dallas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkDallas
Property Tax
$5
$9
Sales Tax
$399
$25
Income Tax
$19
$0
Intergovernmental
$20,520
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$1,835
$0
Other
$3,593
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkDallas
Police
$1,512
$1,519
Fire Protection
$11,050
$305
Highways & Roads
$221
$201
Education
$37,892
$62
Public Welfare
$1,116
$215
Health
$417
$0
Hospitals
$6,467
$385
Parks & Recreation
$868
$0
Housing
$7,137
$444
Sewerage
$315
$0
Utilities
$13,371
$833
Interest on Debt
$11,706
$0
General Admin
$11,668
$25,827
Other
$25,380
$5,059
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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