Houston, TX vs Phoenix, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Phoenix spends 8.8% more per capita than Houston ($1,393/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
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Phoenix
Total Spending
$33.1B
$25.4B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$15,793
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$81.6B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$50,709
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.9B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,156
Population
2,296,253
1,609,456
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Phoenix$170
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Phoenix$86
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Phoenix$652
Education
Houston$0
Phoenix$214
Health
Houston$210
Phoenix$258
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonPhoenix
| Property Tax | $0 | $7 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $338 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,260 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $50,709 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $2,998 |
| Other | $3,960 | $2,038 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonPhoenix
| Fire Protection | $295 | $170 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $86 |
| Education | $0 | $214 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $507 |
| Health | $210 | $258 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,521 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $652 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,879 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $388 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,480 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,760 |
| Other | $6,301 | $3,878 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health