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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Houston, TX vs El Paso, TX

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

Summary

El Paso spends 40.6% more per capita than Houston ($9,859/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
El Paso, TX
Pop. 677,181
C
61/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
El Paso
Total Spending
$33.1B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$24,259
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$7,115
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
Houston$295
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
El Paso$151
Health
Houston$210
El Paso$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonEl Paso
Sales Tax
$181
$65
Income Tax
$39
$12
Intergovernmental
$33
$690
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$31
Other
$3,960
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonEl Paso
Police
$0
$1,159
Fire Protection
$295
$233
Highways & Roads
$175
$83
Public Welfare
$533
$299
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$11
Parks & Recreation
$361
$151
Housing
$4,288
$958
Sewerage
$386
$6
Utilities
$1,339
$224
Interest on Debt
$0
$40
General Admin
$0
$17,951
Other
$6,301
$3,145
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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