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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Brownsville, TX

Population: 186,999 (2022) · Mid-Size Cities (100K-250K)

A
85/100

Excellent fiscal health, strong reserves, low debt, well-funded pensions

Total Spending
$1.9B
Per Capita
$9,921
Total Revenue
$4.5B
Total Debt
$13.0M

Spending Breakdown

Other
37.7%$699.4M
Housing & Community Development
24.9%$461.7M
Utilities
15.5%$287.5M
Public Welfare
7.4%$136.8M
Parks & Recreation
5.3%$98.6M
Interest on Debt
3.5%$65.5M
Fire Protection
2.2%$40.0M
Health
1.9%$35.1M
Sewerage
1.1%$20.1M
Police
0.3%$5.0M
Hospitals
0.2%$4.5M
Highways & Roads
0.1%$1.1M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Sales Tax
0.7%$33.1M
Income Tax
3.8%$171.3M
Intergovernmental
16.1%$724.3M
Charges & Fees
6.7%$303.1M
Other
8.4%$377.7M

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police$26/person
Fire Protection$214/person
Highways & Roads$6/person
Parks & Recreation$527/person
Health$188/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)81/100
Debt Burden (20%)100/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)100/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)100/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Debt Overview

Total Debt$13.0M
Long-Term Debt$136.9M
Debt Per Capita$70
Cash & Securities$35.0M

Compare Cities

See how Brownsville stacks up against another city.

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in Texas

Frequently Asked Questions

Brownsville, TX spends $9,921 per resident, based on total expenditures of $1.9B for a population of 186,999. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of A (85/100).

Brownsville, TX has total expenditures of $1.9B and total revenue of $4.5B. The city carries $13.0M in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

Brownsville, TX employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

Brownsville, TX has a Fiscal Health Score of A (85/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.

Every number on this page links back to the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.

For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. cities, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.