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

Houston, TX vs New York, NY

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

Summary

New York spends 88.8% more per capita than Houston ($114,720/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
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
New York
Total Spending
$33.1B
$1113.3B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$129,119
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$1271.6B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$147,477
Total Debt
$2.0B
$4.0B
Debt / Capita
$863
$462
Population
2,296,253
8,622,467
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
New York$1,512
Fire Protection
Houston$295
New York$11,050
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
New York$221
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
New York$868
Education
Houston$0
New York$37,892
Health
Houston$210
New York$417

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonNew York
Property Tax
$0
$5
Sales Tax
$181
$399
Income Tax
$39
$19
Intergovernmental
$33
$20,520
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$1,835
Other
$3,960
$3,593

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonNew York
Police
$0
$1,512
Fire Protection
$295
$11,050
Highways & Roads
$175
$221
Education
$0
$37,892
Public Welfare
$533
$1,116
Health
$210
$417
Hospitals
$511
$6,467
Parks & Recreation
$361
$868
Housing
$4,288
$7,137
Sewerage
$386
$315
Utilities
$1,339
$13,371
Interest on Debt
$0
$11,706
General Admin
$0
$11,668
Other
$6,301
$25,380
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health

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