Houston, TX vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $14,400, a 138% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA 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 Long Beach, CA at $698.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 12% in Long Beach, CA.
Summary
Long Beach spends 58.0% more per capita than Houston ($19,850/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)
| Sales Tax | $181 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,424 |
| Other | $3,960 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,317 |
| Health | $210 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $698 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $86 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,718 |
| Other | $6,301 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.