Houston, TX vs Memphis, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Memphis spends 34.9% more per capita than Houston ($7,711/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
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Memphis
Total Spending
$33.1B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$22,111
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$34,065
Total Debt
$2.0B
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$863
$303
Population
2,296,253
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Memphis$1,397
Health
Houston$210
Memphis$391
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonMemphis
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $496 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,218 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $34,065 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,077 |
| Other | $3,960 | $3,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonMemphis
| Fire Protection | $295 | $469 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $277 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $630 |
| Health | $210 | $391 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,397 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,683 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $0 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,578 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,158 |
| Other | $6,301 | $8,850 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health