Houston, TX vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Houston, TX spends 58% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $14,400 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX edges Las Vegas, NV on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 82/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Las Vegas, NV reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in Las Vegas, NV at $1,028.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 34% in Las Vegas, NV.
Summary
Houston spends 58.5% more per capita than Las Vegas ($5,314/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $0 |
| Other | $3,960 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $705 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $332 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $129 |
| Other | $6,301 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.