Austin, TX vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Austin spends 51.2% more per capita than Houston ($7,372/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Austin
Houston
Total Spending
$20.9B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$14,400
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$55,600
Total Debt
$1.2B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$863
Population
958,202
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Austin$634
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Houston$361
Education
Austin$51
Houston$0
Health
Austin$517
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AustinHouston
| Sales Tax | $526 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $3,475 |
| Other | $5,645 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AustinHouston
| Fire Protection | $634 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Education | $51 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $533 |
| Health | $517 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $386 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $1,339 |
| Other | $8,399 | $6,301 |
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health