Albuquerque, NM vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Albuquerque, NM spends 20% more per resident than Houston, TX: $17,237 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX edges Albuquerque, NM on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 81/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Albuquerque, NM carries the lighter load at $613 per resident versus $863 for Houston, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Albuquerque spends 19.7% more per capita than Houston ($2,838/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $36 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $355 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,897 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $3,475 |
| Other | $2,174 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $440 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $172 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $419 | $533 |
| Health | $291 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $328 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,990 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,080 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $386 |
| Utilities | $5,212 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,096 | $0 |
| Other | $3,209 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.