Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Austin, TX vs Memphis, TN

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Memphis spends 1.5% more per capita than Austin ($339/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Memphis
Total Spending
$20.9B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$22,111
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$34,065
Total Debt
$1.2B
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$303
Population
958,202
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Memphis$1,397
Education
Austin$51
Memphis$0
Health
Austin$517
Memphis$391

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinMemphis
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$526
$496
Income Tax
$1,465
$1,218
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$34,065
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$2,077
Other
$5,645
$3,994

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinMemphis
Fire Protection
$634
$469
Highways & Roads
$0
$277
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$630
Health
$517
$391
Hospitals
$664
$1,677
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$1,397
Housing
$3,741
$4,683
Sewerage
$865
$0
Utilities
$3,264
$2,578
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,158
Other
$8,399
$8,850
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities