Colorado Springs, CO vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Houston, TX and Colorado Springs, CO spend within 8.9% of each other per resident — $14,400 versus $13,222 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Colorado Springs, CO at 13% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Houston spends 8.2% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($1,177/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $257 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $3,475 |
| Other | $2,678 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $361 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $0 |
| Other | $5,120 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.