Denver, CO vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $33,582 versus $14,400, a 133% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Denver, CO at $3,319 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Denver, CO at 37% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.