Houston, TX vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Austin spends 33.9% more per capita than Houston ($7,372/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Austin
Total Spending
$33.1B
$20.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$21,772
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$74.4B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$77,600
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.2B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,229
Population
2,296,253
958,202
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Austin$634
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Austin$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Austin$1,801
Education
Houston$0
Austin$51
Health
Houston$210
Austin$517
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonAustin
| Sales Tax | $181 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $3,247 |
| Other | $3,960 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonAustin
| Fire Protection | $295 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,837 |
| Health | $210 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $865 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $3,264 |
| Other | $6,301 | $8,399 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health