Plano, TX vs Fort Worth, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Plano, TX and Fort Worth, TX spend within 5.7% of each other per resident — $16,842 versus $15,939 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Plano, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 63/100 (grade C) for Fort Worth, TX — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Plano, TX carries the lighter load at $663 per resident versus $1,921 for Fort Worth, 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 Fort Worth, TX at $708.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Plano, TX at 20% of total revenue, whereas Fort Worth, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 15%.
Summary
Plano spends 5.7% more per capita than Fort Worth ($902/person difference). Plano, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $644 | $198 |
| Income Tax | $731 | $851 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,683 | $4,002 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,976 | $3,594 |
| Other | $3,004 | $3,439 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $125 | $156 |
| Highways & Roads | $319 | $317 |
| Education | $34 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $283 | $869 |
| Health | $463 | $235 |
| Hospitals | $194 | $1,680 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,518 | $708 |
| Housing | $3,356 | $4,217 |
| Sewerage | $145 | $267 |
| Utilities | $4,137 | $2,674 |
| Other | $6,268 | $4,817 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.