Houston, TX vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Antonio, TX spends 18% more per resident than Houston, TX: $16,943 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 68/100 (grade B) for San Antonio, TX — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in San Antonio, TX at $1,045.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Houston, TX at 7% of total revenue, whereas San Antonio, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.