FY26 Budget Analysis

The Montgomery County FY2026 adopted budget is $7.6 billion. Per capita spending is $7,023.

The Fairfax benchmark

Fairfax County's county-controlled budget is roughly $5.1 billion with a per capita of $4,435. The gap is 58%.

Budget growth over the last five years:

• Montgomery County: +32%
• Population growth: +1.9%

MCPS: the largest slice

MCPS accounts for 47.4% of the total budget — $3.6 billion. Administrative overhead stands at 45% compared to Fairfax County Public Schools at 37%. That 8-point gap on a $3.6B budget represents roughly $288 million in potential excess overhead.

Key numbers to watch

Metric

Montgomery County

Fairfax County

FY26 Budget	$7.6B	~$5.1B
Per Capita	$7,023	$4,435
MCPS/FCPS Overhead	45%	37%
Income Tax	~8% combined	5.75% state only
Income Growth Rank	28th/30	25th/30

We'll update this post when the full breakdown and OLO reports are available.

Sources: Montgomery County FY2026 Adopted Budget, Fairfax County FY2026 Adopted Budget, U.S. Census ACS 2024.