Houston, TX vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Charlotte spends 9.2% more per capita than Houston ($1,454/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
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Charlotte
Total Spending
$33.1B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$15,854
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$49,746
Total Debt
$2.0B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$863
$2,690
Population
2,296,253
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Houston$210
Charlotte$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonCharlotte
| Sales Tax | $181 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,459 |
| Other | $3,960 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonCharlotte
| Fire Protection | $295 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $41 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $672 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,944 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,226 |
| Other | $6,301 | $3,448 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health