Houston, TX vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 58.3% more per capita than Houston ($20,152/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
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Chicago
Total Spending
$33.1B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$34,551
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$85,083
Total Debt
$2.0B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$863
$977
Population
2,296,253
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Chicago$122
Health
Houston$210
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonChicago
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,847 |
| Other | $3,960 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonChicago
| Fire Protection | $295 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,858 |
| Health | $210 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $129 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,983 |
| Other | $6,301 | $9,385 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health