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

Houston, TX vs Las Vegas, NV

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

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

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
Las Vegas, NV
Pop. 644,835
A
82/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Las Vegas
Total Spending
$33.1B
$5.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$9,085
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$5.3B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$8,251
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
644,835
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Las Vegas$945
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Las Vegas$280
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Las Vegas$45
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Las Vegas$1,028
Health
Houston$210
Las Vegas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonLas Vegas
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)

HoustonLas Vegas
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
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Las Vegas, NV
Fiscal Health Score: 82/100
Excellent fiscal health

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