City government · Tarrant County, TX

Arlington's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Arlington took in $851 million and spent $806 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes52%Fees for services (sewer, water)35%Federal tax money6.2%Fines and other5.6%State tax money1.4%County and local tax money0.4%

What stands out

22%

of Arlington's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes52%

Property tax
23%$192 million
Sales tax
22%$184 million
Other taxes
7.4%$63.4 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other selective sales taxes and 4 more
  • Public utility taxes$38.2 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$14.6 million
  • Other licenses$8.9 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$1.5 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$118 thousand
  • Amusement taxes$112 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services35%

Fees for services
35%$297 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 4 more
  • Sewer$110 million
  • Water$109 million
  • Other service charges$49.9 million
  • Parks and recreation$24.1 million
  • Garbage collection$2.8 million
  • Airport$1.3 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.2%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
6.2%$52.7 million

State tax money1.4%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
1.4%$12.1 million

County and local tax money0.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.4%$3.1 million

Fines and other5.6%

Interest, rents and other
4.9%$41.5 million
Fines
0.7%$5.9 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails26%Water, sewer, trash and utilities23%Running the government and other costs19%Parks, recreation and libraries12%Interest on debt10%All other spending11%

What stands out

10%

of Arlington's spending goes to interest on debt.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 2.5%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
26%$210 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$130 million
  • Fire protection$65.3 million
  • Courts and legal services$8.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$6.5 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
23%$183 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$100 million
  • Water supply$82.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$229 thousand
Running the government and other costs
19%$150 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$117 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$17.1 million
  • Government buildings$9.0 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$7.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
12%$92.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$83.6 million
  • Libraries$9.3 million
Interest on debt
10%$84.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$74.4 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$9.9 million
Roads, transit and parking
9.2%$73.8 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$72.6 million
  • Airports$1.2 million
Housing and community development
0.8%$6.6 million
Health and hospitals
0.6%$4.7 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$4.7 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Arlington. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Arlington itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.