Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Dallas, TX vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Dallas spends 142.0% more per capita than Houston ($20,449/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Dallas
Houston
Total Spending
$45.3B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$34,849
$14,400
Total Revenue
$7.1B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$5,474
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
1,300,642
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Dallas$1,519
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Dallas$305
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Dallas$201
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Dallas$0
Houston$361
Education
Dallas$62
Houston$0
Health
Dallas$0
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasHouston
Property Tax
$9
$0
Sales Tax
$25
$181
Income Tax
$0
$39
Intergovernmental
$1,223
$33
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,475
Other
$584
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DallasHouston
Police
$1,519
$0
Fire Protection
$305
$295
Highways & Roads
$201
$175
Education
$62
$0
Public Welfare
$215
$533
Health
$0
$210
Hospitals
$385
$511
Parks & Recreation
$0
$361
Housing
$444
$4,288
Sewerage
$0
$386
Utilities
$833
$1,339
General Admin
$25,827
$0
Other
$5,059
$6,301
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities