Houston, TX vs Boston, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Boston spends 80.1% more per capita than Houston ($57,899/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
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Boston
Total Spending
$33.1B
$48.1B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$72,299
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$20.8B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$31,243
Total Debt
$2.0B
$296.3M
Debt / Capita
$863
$445
Population
2,296,253
665,945
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Boston$1,107
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Boston$594
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Boston$711
Education
Houston$0
Boston$30,742
Health
Houston$210
Boston$725
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonBoston
| Sales Tax | $181 | $78 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $5,357 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,784 |
| Other | $3,960 | $4,557 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonBoston
| Fire Protection | $295 | $1,107 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $594 |
| Education | $0 | $30,742 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,110 |
| Health | $210 | $725 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,584 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $711 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $6,614 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $355 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $3,402 |
| General Admin | $0 | $5,401 |
| Other | $6,301 | $18,955 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health