Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Houston, TX vs Columbus, OH

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Columbus spends 23.6% more per capita than Houston ($4,458/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Columbus
Total Spending
$33.1B
$17.0B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$18,858
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$0
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,145
Population
2,296,253
902,449
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Columbus$1,016
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Columbus$224
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Columbus$2,168
Health
Houston$210
Columbus$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonColumbus
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$181
$234
Income Tax
$39
$1
Intergovernmental
$33
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$2,389
Other
$3,960
$5,248

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonColumbus
Fire Protection
$295
$1,016
Highways & Roads
$175
$224
Public Welfare
$533
$878
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$953
Parks & Recreation
$361
$2,168
Housing
$4,288
$4,303
Sewerage
$386
$1
Utilities
$1,339
$1,719
Other
$6,301
$7,595
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities