Houston, TX vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Dallas spends 58.7% more per capita than Houston ($20,449/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
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Dallas
Total Spending
$33.1B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$34,849
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$5,474
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Houston$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Dallas$0
Education
Houston$0
Dallas$62
Health
Houston$210
Dallas$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDallas
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $0 |
| Other | $3,960 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDallas
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $215 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $6,301 | $5,059 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health