Austin, TX vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 29% more per resident than San Antonio, TX: $21,772 against $16,943. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX edges San Antonio, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. 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 San Antonio, TX at $1,045.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 18% of total revenue in Austin, TX and 17% in San Antonio, TX.
Summary
Austin spends 28.5% more per capita than San Antonio ($4,829/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $526 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $4,025 |
| Other | $5,645 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $634 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $158 |
| Education | $51 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $1,188 |
| Health | $517 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $100 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $3,826 |
| Other | $8,399 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.