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

Fresno, CA vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Fresno spends 201.3% more per capita than Houston ($28,987/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Fresno
Houston
Total Spending
$23.5B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$14,400
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
541,528
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Houston$361
Education
Fresno$3,942
Houston$0
Health
Fresno$599
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoHouston
Property Tax
$337
$0
Sales Tax
$19
$181
Income Tax
$501
$39
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$33
Charges & Fees
$11
$3,475
Other
$2,070
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoHouston
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$295
Highways & Roads
$0
$175
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$533
Health
$599
$210
Hospitals
$0
$511
Parks & Recreation
$76
$361
Housing
$2,856
$4,288
Sewerage
$0
$386
Utilities
$15,340
$1,339
Interest on Debt
$255
$0
Other
$14,545
$6,301
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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