Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Houston, TX vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Portland spends 39.2% more per capita than Houston ($9,275/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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Portland
Total Spending
$33.1B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$23,675
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$47,970
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,574
Population
2,296,253
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Portland$2,477
Health
Houston$210
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonPortland
Sales Tax
$181
$1,695
Income Tax
$39
$130
Intergovernmental
$33
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$3,883
Other
$3,960
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonPortland
Fire Protection
$295
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$175
$139
Public Welfare
$533
$3,607
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$361
$2,477
Housing
$4,288
$3,694
Sewerage
$386
$630
Utilities
$1,339
$1,845
Other
$6,301
$6,689
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities