Detroit, MI vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Detroit spends 115.9% more per capita than Houston ($16,688/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Detroit
Houston
Total Spending
$19.8B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$14,400
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$55,600
Total Debt
$493.9M
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$776
$863
Population
636,787
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Houston$361
Health
Detroit$396
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitHouston
| Property Tax | $44 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $3,475 |
| Other | $6,892 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitHouston
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $533 |
| Health | $396 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $361 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $0 |
| Other | $13,216 | $6,301 |
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health