Houston, TX vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Denver spends 57.1% more per capita than Houston ($19,182/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
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Denver
Total Spending
$33.1B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$33,582
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$122,063
Total Debt
$2.0B
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$863
$5,126
Population
2,296,253
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Houston$0
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Denver$3,319
Education
Houston$0
Denver$821
Health
Houston$210
Denver$693
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDenver
| Sales Tax | $181 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $5,207 |
| Other | $3,960 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDenver
| Police | $0 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $475 |
| Education | $0 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $764 |
| Health | $210 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $293 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $6,301 | $12,011 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health