Denver, CO vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Denver spends 133.2% more per capita than Houston ($19,182/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Denver
Houston
Total Spending
$23.9B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$14,400
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$55,600
Total Debt
$3.6B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$863
Population
710,800
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Denver$2,455
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
Houston$361
Education
Denver$821
Houston$0
Health
Denver$693
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverHouston
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $3,475 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DenverHouston
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $175 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $533 |
| Health | $693 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $386 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $6,301 |
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health