Chicago, IL vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 139.9% more per capita than Houston ($20,152/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Houston
Total Spending
$94.0B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$14,400
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$55,600
Total Debt
$2.7B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$977
$863
Population
2,721,914
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Houston$361
Health
Chicago$426
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoHouston
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $3,475 |
| Other | $3,463 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoHouston
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $533 |
| Health | $426 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $361 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $1,339 |
| Other | $9,385 | $6,301 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health