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

Houston, TX vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Houston spends 3.5% more per capita than Raleigh ($489/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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Raleigh
Total Spending
$33.1B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$13,911
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$29,940
Total Debt
$2.0B
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$863
$906
Population
2,296,253
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Houston$0
Raleigh$6
Health
Houston$210
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonRaleigh
Sales Tax
$181
$858
Income Tax
$39
$806
Intergovernmental
$33
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$2,681
Other
$3,960
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonRaleigh
Fire Protection
$295
$277
Highways & Roads
$175
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$533
$498
Health
$210
$0
Hospitals
$511
$669
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,391
Housing
$4,288
$2,712
Sewerage
$386
$281
Utilities
$1,339
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$6,301
$3,646
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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