Boston, MA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 402.1% more per capita than Houston ($57,899/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Boston
Houston
Total Spending
$48.1B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$14,400
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$55,600
Total Debt
$296.3M
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$445
$863
Population
665,945
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Houston$361
Education
Boston$30,742
Houston$0
Health
Boston$725
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonHouston
| Sales Tax | $78 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,557 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BostonHouston
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $175 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $533 |
| Health | $725 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $361 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $386 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $1,339 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $0 |
| Other | $18,955 | $6,301 |
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health