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

Houston, TX vs San Antonio, TX

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

Summary

San Antonio spends 15.0% more per capita than Houston ($2,543/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
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
San Antonio
Total Spending
$33.1B
$24.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$16,943
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$124.1B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$85,853
Total Debt
$2.0B
$3.1B
Debt / Capita
$863
$2,131
Population
2,296,253
1,445,662
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
San Antonio$396
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
San Antonio$158
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
San Antonio$1,045
Education
Houston$0
San Antonio$23
Health
Houston$210
San Antonio$293

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Antonio
Property Tax
$0
$9
Sales Tax
$181
$293
Income Tax
$39
$1,000
Intergovernmental
$33
$14,312
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$4,025
Other
$3,960
$3,184

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Antonio
Fire Protection
$295
$396
Highways & Roads
$175
$158
Education
$0
$23
Public Welfare
$533
$1,188
Health
$210
$293
Hospitals
$511
$993
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,045
Housing
$4,288
$3,570
Sewerage
$386
$100
Utilities
$1,339
$3,826
Other
$6,301
$5,352
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health

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