Houston, TX vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Los Angeles spends 83.1% more per capita than Houston ($71,033/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Los Angeles
Total Spending
$33.1B
$331.6B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$85,432
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$68.3B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$17,595
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
3,881,041
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Houston$0
Los Angeles$4,111
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Los Angeles$1,057
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Los Angeles$503
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Los Angeles$1,347
Education
Houston$0
Los Angeles$829
Health
Houston$210
Los Angeles$409
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonLos Angeles
| Property Tax | $0 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $459 |
| Other | $3,960 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonLos Angeles
| Police | $0 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $503 |
| Education | $0 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,286 |
| Health | $210 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $34 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $630 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,586 |
| Other | $6,301 | $33,189 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health