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

Austin, TX vs Oklahoma City, OK

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Austin, TX spends 20% more per resident than Oklahoma City, OK: $21,772 against $18,074. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Austin, TX at $1,801 per resident and in Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 18% of total revenue in Austin, TX and 19% in Oklahoma City, OK.

Summary

Austin spends 20.5% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($3,698/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
Oklahoma City, OK
Pop. 681,088
B
65/100
Budget Balance80
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Oklahoma City
Total Spending
$20.9B
$12.3B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$18,074
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$23.9B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$35,156
Total Debt
$1.2B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$3,520
Population
958,202
681,088
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Oklahoma City$513
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Oklahoma City$2,014
Education
Austin$51
Oklahoma City$0
Health
Austin$517
Oklahoma City$5

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinOklahoma City
Sales Tax
$526
$763
Income Tax
$1,465
$1,037
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$6,852
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$3,256
Other
$5,645
$1,836

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinOklahoma City
Fire Protection
$634
$513
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$1,525
Health
$517
$5
Hospitals
$664
$2,044
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$2,014
Housing
$3,741
$2,857
Sewerage
$865
$0
Utilities
$3,264
$4,523
Interest on Debt
$0
$707
Other
$8,399
$3,886
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
B
Oklahoma City, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.