Plano, TX vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Plano, TX spends 43% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $16,842 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 75/100 (grade B) for Plano, TX — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $663 for Plano, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Plano, TX at $1,518 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Plano, TX at 20% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.
Summary
Plano spends 43.1% more per capita than Arlington ($5,072/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 | $644 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $731 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,683 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,976 | $2,949 |
| Other | $3,004 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $125 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $319 | $149 |
| Education | $34 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $283 | $826 |
| Health | $463 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $194 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,518 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $3,356 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $145 | $141 |
| Utilities | $4,137 | $1,385 |
| Other | $6,268 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.