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

Houston, TX vs San Diego, CA

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

Summary

San Diego spends 66.7% more per capita than Houston ($28,907/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 Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
San Diego
Total Spending
$33.1B
$59.9B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$43,306
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$13.4B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$9,662
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
1,383,987
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
San Diego$3,335
Fire Protection
Houston$295
San Diego$1,278
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
San Diego$1,408
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
San Diego$436
Education
Houston$0
San Diego$2,005
Health
Houston$210
San Diego$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Diego
Property Tax
$0
$124
Sales Tax
$181
$63
Income Tax
$39
$194
Intergovernmental
$33
$57
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$14
Other
$3,960
$3,801

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Diego
Police
$0
$3,335
Fire Protection
$295
$1,278
Highways & Roads
$175
$1,408
Education
$0
$2,005
Public Welfare
$533
$700
Health
$210
$411
Hospitals
$511
$0
Parks & Recreation
$361
$436
Housing
$4,288
$4,476
Sewerage
$386
$43
Utilities
$1,339
$11,704
Other
$6,301
$17,509
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities