North Little Rock, AR vs Fayetteville, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
North Little Rock, AR spends 38% more per resident than Fayetteville, AR: $17,205 against $12,502. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
North Little Rock, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 66/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Fayetteville, AR — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
North 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: North Little Rock, AR leads with parks and recreation at $1,829 per resident, while Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in North Little Rock, AR at 37% of total revenue, whereas Fayetteville, AR relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 59%.
Summary
North Little Rock spends 37.6% more per capita than Fayetteville ($4,702/person difference). North Little Rock, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 66/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $8 |
| Sales Tax | $318 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $218 | $1,543 |
| Intergovernmental | $910 | $7,947 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,512 |
| Other | $4,250 | $3,271 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $273 | $423 |
| Education | $23 | $32 |
| Public Welfare | $1,282 | $719 |
| Health | $532 | $800 |
| Hospitals | $46 | $109 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,829 | $599 |
| Housing | $4,197 | $2,095 |
| Sewerage | $195 | $156 |
| Utilities | $926 | $3,578 |
| Other | $7,901 | $3,991 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.