North Little Rock, AR vs Bentonville, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
North Little Rock, AR spends 19% more per resident than Bentonville, AR: $17,205 against $14,446. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bentonville, AR edges North Little Rock, AR on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 73/100 (grade B) to 66/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
North Little Rock, AR reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Bentonville, AR carries $246 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in North Little Rock, AR at $1,829 per resident and in Bentonville, AR at $1,751.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 37% of total revenue in North Little Rock, AR and 20% in Bentonville, AR.
Summary
North Little Rock spends 19.1% more per capita than Bentonville ($2,759/person difference). Bentonville, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $318 | $752 |
| Income Tax | $218 | $1,252 |
| Intergovernmental | $910 | $2,248 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,597 |
| Other | $4,250 | $3,321 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $273 | $226 |
| Education | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,282 | $890 |
| Health | $532 | $352 |
| Hospitals | $46 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,829 | $1,751 |
| Housing | $4,197 | $2,628 |
| Sewerage | $195 | $177 |
| Utilities | $926 | $3,488 |
| Other | $7,901 | $4,935 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.