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

Plano, TX vs Arlington, TX

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

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

City A
Plano, TX
Pop. 284,948
B
75/100
Budget Balance47
Debt Burden90
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Plano
Arlington
Total Spending
$4.8B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$16,842
$11,769
Total Revenue
$5.7B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$19,840
$60,454
Total Debt
$188.9M
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$663
$594
Population
284,948
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Plano$125
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
Plano$319
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
Plano$1,518
Arlington$1,352
Education
Plano$34
Arlington$0
Health
Plano$463
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PlanoArlington
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)

PlanoArlington
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
B
Plano, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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