Houston, TX vs Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque, NM spends 20% more per resident than Houston, TX: $17,237 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Houston, TX edges Albuquerque, NM on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 81/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Albuquerque, NM carries the lighter load at $613 per resident versus $863 for Houston, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Houston, TX at 7% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.