Dallas taxpayers on the hook for $32,370—each

Dallas taxpayers are on the hook for more government debt than they think, according to a new report by the government finance watchdog group Truth in Accounting.

Earlier this year, TIA released a separate report that found the City of Dallas had a Taxpayer Burden™ of $21,700, which is each taxpayer's share of municipal debt. You can also think of this as the amount of money each city taxpayer would have to contribute for Dallas to pay all of its bills.

Dallas, like many other cities, does not include the finances of local government units in its annual financial report that city taxpayers are also responsible for, such as public school districts and transportation systems.

Our new analysis, which you can find here, assesses the financial condition of these local government units in Dallas, as well as Dallas County.

If you combine the Taxpayer Burden of Dallas ($21,700), the largest local government units within the city's jurisdiction ($2,070), and the state of Texas ($8,600), the overall Taxpayer Burden comes out to $32,370.

Of the local government units included in the analysis, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport accounts for the majority of the Taxpayer Burden at $1,380 per Dallas taxpayer.

Dallas ranked No. 4 out of the 10 most populous U.S. cities based on the combined Taxpayer Burdens of the state, city and local government entities. You can find the other cities' reports and full ranking here.