Tucson, AZ vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Tucson, AZ spends 34% more per resident than Arlington, TX: $15,759 against $11,769. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 55/100 (grade C) for Tucson, AZ — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Arlington, TX carries the lighter load at $594 per resident versus $1,540 for Tucson, AZ. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Tucson, AZ at $1,229 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Tucson, AZ and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Tucson spends 33.9% more per capita than Arlington ($3,990/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 | $5 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $2,949 |
| Other | $952 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $330 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $826 |
| Health | $0 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $141 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $0 |
| Other | $3,322 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.