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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fort Worth, TX vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Fort Worth spends 10.7% more per capita than Houston ($1,540/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fort Worth, TX
Pop. 924,663
C
63/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Fort Worth
Houston
Total Spending
$14.7B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$15,939
$14,400
Total Revenue
$24.7B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$26,694
$55,600
Total Debt
$1.8B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,921
$863
Population
924,663
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Worth$156
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Fort Worth$317
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Fort Worth$708
Houston$361
Health
Fort Worth$235
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WorthHouston
Sales Tax
$198
$181
Income Tax
$851
$39
Intergovernmental
$4,002
$33
Charges & Fees
$3,594
$3,475
Other
$3,439
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort WorthHouston
Fire Protection
$156
$295
Highways & Roads
$317
$175
Public Welfare
$869
$533
Health
$235
$210
Hospitals
$1,680
$511
Parks & Recreation
$708
$361
Housing
$4,217
$4,288
Sewerage
$267
$386
Utilities
$2,674
$1,339
Other
$4,817
$6,301
C
Fort Worth, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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