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

Houston, TX vs Fresno, CA

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

Summary

Fresno spends 66.8% more per capita than Houston ($28,987/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
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Fresno
Total Spending
$33.1B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$43,387
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$10,998
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Fresno$568
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Fresno$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Fresno$76
Education
Houston$0
Fresno$3,942
Health
Houston$210
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonFresno
Property Tax
$0
$337
Sales Tax
$181
$19
Income Tax
$39
$501
Intergovernmental
$33
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$11
Other
$3,960
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonFresno
Police
$0
$3,261
Fire Protection
$295
$568
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Education
$0
$3,942
Public Welfare
$533
$1,946
Health
$210
$599
Hospitals
$511
$0
Parks & Recreation
$361
$76
Housing
$4,288
$2,856
Sewerage
$386
$0
Utilities
$1,339
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$0
$255
Other
$6,301
$14,545
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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