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

Houston, TX vs Lubbock, TX

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

Summary

Lubbock spends 56.0% more per capita than Houston ($18,343/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
Lubbock, TX
Pop. 258,190
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency30
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Lubbock
Total Spending
$33.1B
$8.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$32,743
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$791.3M
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$3,065
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
258,190
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Lubbock$322
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Lubbock$173
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Lubbock$296
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Lubbock$13
Health
Houston$210
Lubbock$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonLubbock
Sales Tax
$181
$2
Income Tax
$39
$0
Intergovernmental
$33
$76
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$0
Other
$3,960
$781

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonLubbock
Police
$0
$322
Fire Protection
$295
$173
Highways & Roads
$175
$296
Public Welfare
$533
$258
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$0
Parks & Recreation
$361
$13
Housing
$4,288
$2,128
Sewerage
$386
$0
Utilities
$1,339
$45
General Admin
$0
$26,777
Other
$6,301
$2,732
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Lubbock, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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