Sacramento, CA vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $11,769, a 503% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 503.4% more per capita than Arlington ($59,251/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)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $2,949 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $826 |
| Health | $18 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $141 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.