City comparison
Fort Worth, TX versus Arlington, TX is a real move, not a trivia matchup. This comparison uses the same 2026 neighborhood report data we publish on each city page — typical rent, median household income, crime indexes, school composites, and typical weather — so you can see which city actually fits how you live, work, and spend. Typical rents sit near $1,723 a month in Fort Worth and $1,723 in Arlington, and median household income lands at $72,726 versus $71,736. Open either city's full report when you want the block-level detail behind these headlines.
Fort Worth takes job market. The widest gap is median income, where Fort Worth leads by 1% — the kind of spread you feel in a monthly budget or a nightly walk, not just on a chart. Read the category rows as a filter: if cheaper housing would change your life more than a stronger job market, weight rent first. If you are moving with kids, weight schools and crime. If you picked a city after one good weekend, use the weather and income rows to test whether that weekend survives a full year.
Numbers below are citywide, not a guarantee about the street you will actually live on. Two ZIP codes in Fort Worth can feel further apart than Fort Worth and Arlington do on paper. Use this page to pick a city, then use the Fort Worth and Arlington reports to pick a neighborhood — and visit in the season you like least before you sign anything.
Fort Worth, TX
Arlington, TX
Rent
Neck and neck
Fort Worth and Arlington are about even on rent.
Fort Worth
$1,723/mo
Arlington
$1,723/mo
Typical rent in Fort Worth is $1,723 a month versus $1,723 in Arlington — close enough that housing cost should not decide the move by itself. Factor it into your budget alongside salary differences between the two markets, then pick the city that wins the categories you actually live in: safety, schools, pay, or weather.
Median income
1% higher
Fort Worth's median income is 1% higher than Arlington
Fort Worth
Winner$72,726
Arlington
$71,736
Median household income is $72,726 in Fort Worth versus $71,736 in Arlington, so typical pay runs 1% higher in Fort Worth — about $990 more household income a year. The income edge is modest. Treat it as extra negotiating context, not a reason to ignore rent, schools, or climate. Remote workers especially should not treat citywide pay as a personal raise if their employer will not localize salary.
Crime index
Neck and neck
Fort Worth and Arlington are about even on crime index.
Fort Worth
109 (100 = avg)
Arlington
109 (100 = avg)
Fort Worth and Arlington post similar crime indexes (109 vs 109, where 100 is the national average). A small gap at the city level can still hide a huge neighborhood spread. Walk the specific block, check lighting and late-night activity, and use each city's full report for violent vs. property crime instead of stopping at the headline index.
School scores
Neck and neck
Fort Worth and Arlington are about even on school scores.
Fort Worth
A- · 84/100
Arlington
A- · 84/100
School composites are effectively even (A- in Fort Worth, A- in Arlington). For families with kids this is a warning if you assumed one city was obviously better — at this range the campus, not the city name, decides it. Tour the zoned elementary you would actually use.
Typical weather
Neck and neck
Fort Worth and Arlington are about even on typical weather.
Fort Worth
92°F typical
Arlington
92°F typical
Outdoor comfort is close between Fort Worth and Arlington. Typical temperatures sit around 92°F in Fort Worth and 92°F in Arlington. You are choosing a flavor of season, not paradise versus misery. Visit in the season you currently like least. A long weekend in October lies; a week in July or January does not.
Fit check
Career-focused movers who want salary upside and professional growth
Fort Worth is the better city for career-focused movers who want salary upside and professional growth. Median household income is 1% higher here ($72,726). Start with Fort Worth if your next chapter is about building earnings, and make weather or nightlife a secondary screen.
Fit check
People with a job, family, or neighborhood already pulling them to Arlington
On these five categories Fort Worth takes the scoreboard, so you should not choose Arlington because the stats are kinder — they are not. Choose Arlington only if a job offer, family, a specific neighborhood, or a life you already started there outweighs the box score. Plenty of good moves ignore the aggregate; just do it on purpose.
Bottom line
If the job market is your priority, Fort Worth is the clear choice.
Fort Worth also leads the other categories that moved the needle on this page.
For most movers comparing these two cities, Fort Worth offers the better overall package.
Common questions
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