Wichita, KS vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Arlington, TX spends 47% more per resident than Wichita, KS: $11,769 against $7,986. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Wichita, KS 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.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $594 for Arlington, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Wichita, KS at $874 per resident and in Arlington, TX at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Wichita, KS and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
Arlington spends 32.1% more per capita than Wichita ($3,783/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $246 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $2,949 |
| Other | $2,783 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $152 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $149 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $826 |
| Health | $254 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $141 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $0 |
| Other | $2,111 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.