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

Houston, TX vs Miami, FL

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

Summary

Miami spends 48.9% more per capita than Houston ($13,796/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
Miami, FL
Pop. 443,665
C
53/100
Budget Balance22
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency51
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Miami
Total Spending
$33.1B
$12.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$28,195
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$6.7B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$15,037
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
443,665
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Miami$7,399
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Miami$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Miami$1,783
Health
Houston$210
Miami$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonMiami
Property Tax
$0
$0
Sales Tax
$181
$1,647
Income Tax
$39
$0
Intergovernmental
$33
$15,037
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$0
Other
$3,960
$1,399

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonMiami
Fire Protection
$295
$7,399
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Public Welfare
$533
$109
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$1,499
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,783
Housing
$4,288
$6,840
Sewerage
$386
$699
Utilities
$1,339
$1,295
Other
$6,301
$8,572
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Miami, FL
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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