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

Houston, TX vs Fort Worth, TX

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

Summary

Fort Worth spends 9.7% more per capita than Houston ($1,540/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
Fort Worth, TX
Pop. 924,663
C
63/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Fort Worth
Total Spending
$33.1B
$14.7B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$15,939
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$24.7B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$26,694
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.8B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,921
Population
2,296,253
924,663
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Fort Worth$156
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Fort Worth$317
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Fort Worth$708
Health
Houston$210
Fort Worth$235

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonFort Worth
Sales Tax
$181
$198
Income Tax
$39
$851
Intergovernmental
$33
$4,002
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$3,594
Other
$3,960
$3,439

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonFort Worth
Fire Protection
$295
$156
Highways & Roads
$175
$317
Public Welfare
$533
$869
Health
$210
$235
Hospitals
$511
$1,680
Parks & Recreation
$361
$708
Housing
$4,288
$4,217
Sewerage
$386
$267
Utilities
$1,339
$2,674
Other
$6,301
$4,817
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Fort Worth, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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