San Jose, CA vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA spends 52% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $17,934 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Arlington, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 83/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Jose, CA at $1,424 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Jose, CA at 9% of total revenue, whereas Arlington, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 41%.
Summary
San Jose spends 52.4% more per capita than Arlington ($6,165/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $40 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $2,949 |
| Other | $3,519 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $826 |
| Health | $609 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $141 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $1,385 |
| Other | $6,247 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.