Fresno, CA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $14,400, a 201% 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 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 33-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 19% of total revenue in Fresno, CA and 7% in Houston, TX.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.