Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Arlington run?
Arlington’s city government spent $499.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,266 per resident. Water and other utilities ($56.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Arlington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,266 per resident a year, or $3.47 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,044 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Arlington’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,044 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 24 Texas cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,166, and the middle half spent $952–$1,413. Arlington spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($43.8 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Arlington itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Arlington reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,044 · 2023: $1,163 · 2024: $1,266.
full-time in March 2025, up from 2,391 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,716 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.55% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Arlington’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Arlington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Arlington →
Who’s in charge in Arlington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Arlington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on arlingtontx.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 145 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (394,602).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Arlington Independent School District
Arlington’s K–12 school district, shared with Dalworthington Gardens, Pantego. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,690 per pupil, $7,454 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
Mansfield Independent School District · $12,023 per pupil
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District · $11,179 per pupil
Kennedale Independent School District · $12,499 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Arlington’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arlington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Tarrant County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.8%426,626 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.7%384,501 votesOthers: 1.5% (12,185 votes).
Most votes in Tarrant County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Arlington lies in Tarrant County. Every 2024 race in Tarrant County is on the county’s page.
Tarrant County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Arlington sends 4 representatives to the Texas House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: arlingtontx.gov ↗
- 2Texas HouseArlington is split between 4 districts
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Arlington compares with the towns next door
Arlington spent $1,044 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,211 to $1,674. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedale | $1,211 | $6,098 |
| Fort Worth | $1,407 | $5,191 |
| Grand Prairie | $1,674 | $4,954 |
| Mansfield | estimate | $7,645 |
| Arlington | $1,044 | $4,716 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Arlington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Arlington’s government
How much does Arlington spend per resident?
About $1,266 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,044 was less than 58% of 24 Texas cities of 250,000–499,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Arlington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,716 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.55% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see arlingtontx.gov.
Who runs Arlington’s government?
See arlingtontx.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Arlington yet.
How did Arlington vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Arlington alone. Tarrant County, where 100% of Arlington lies, voted Trump 51.8%, Harris 46.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Arlington?
2,728 full-time and 607 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $21.8M (about $261.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Arlington in the state legislature?
Arlington is split among 4 State House districts and 4 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Arlington’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →