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

Houston, TX vs Sacramento, CA

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

Summary

Sacramento spends 79.7% more per capita than Houston ($56,621/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Sacramento
Total Spending
$33.1B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$71,020
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$63,682
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Sacramento$2,466
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Sacramento$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Houston$0
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Houston$210
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSacramento
Property Tax
$0
$1,465
Sales Tax
$181
$378
Income Tax
$39
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$33
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$3,239
Other
$3,960
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$295
$2,466
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Education
$0
$2,684
Public Welfare
$533
$3,470
Health
$210
$18
Hospitals
$511
$0
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,437
Housing
$4,288
$8,577
Sewerage
$386
$103
Utilities
$1,339
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$0
$162
Other
$6,301
$26,782
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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