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

Houston, TX vs Jacksonville, FL

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

Summary

Jacksonville spends 54.2% more per capita than Houston ($17,057/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
Jacksonville, FL
Pop. 950,203
C
53/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency36
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Jacksonville
Total Spending
$33.1B
$29.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$31,456
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$50.9B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$53,517
Total Debt
$2.0B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$863
$2,821
Population
2,296,253
950,203
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Jacksonville$18
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Jacksonville$9,436
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Jacksonville$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Jacksonville$1,329
Health
Houston$210
Jacksonville$332

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonJacksonville
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$181
$233
Income Tax
$39
$762
Intergovernmental
$33
$7,348
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$2,119
Other
$3,960
$4,705

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonJacksonville
Police
$0
$18
Fire Protection
$295
$9,436
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Public Welfare
$533
$486
Health
$210
$332
Hospitals
$511
$557
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,329
Housing
$4,288
$5,572
Sewerage
$386
$176
Utilities
$1,339
$1,835
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,942
Other
$6,301
$9,771
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Jacksonville, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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