Portland, OR vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $23,675 versus $11,769, a 101% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Portland, OR — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $1,574 for Portland, OR. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Portland, OR at $2,477 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Portland spends 101.2% more per capita than Arlington ($11,905/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 | $1,695 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $2,949 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $826 |
| Health | $0 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $141 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $1,385 |
| Other | $6,689 | $4,404 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.