Houston, TX vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Philadelphia spends 74.4% more per capita than Houston ($41,872/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
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Philadelphia
Total Spending
$33.1B
$89.7B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$56,272
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$64.4B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$40,425
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,069
Population
2,296,253
1,593,208
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Houston$0
Philadelphia$1,505
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Philadelphia$7,082
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Philadelphia$1,215
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Philadelphia$593
Health
Houston$210
Philadelphia$229
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonPhiladelphia
| Sales Tax | $181 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,960 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonPhiladelphia
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $1,456 |
| Health | $210 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $325 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $6,301 | $30,692 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health