Houston, TX vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Detroit spends 53.7% more per capita than Houston ($16,688/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
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Detroit
Total Spending
$33.1B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$31,087
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$44,533
Total Debt
$2.0B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$863
$776
Population
2,296,253
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Detroit$950
Health
Houston$210
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDetroit
| Property Tax | $0 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,228 |
| Other | $3,960 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonDetroit
| Fire Protection | $295 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $833 |
| Health | $210 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $950 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $451 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $6,301 | $13,216 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health