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

Houston, TX vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 92.2% more per capita than Houston ($169,731/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 Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
San Francisco
Total Spending
$33.1B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$184,131
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$272,907
Total Debt
$2.0B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$863
$2,031
Population
2,296,253
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Houston$295
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Houston$210
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Francisco
Property Tax
$0
$148
Sales Tax
$181
$3,028
Income Tax
$39
$269
Intergovernmental
$33
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$7,961
Other
$3,960
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$295
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Public Welfare
$533
$2,203
Health
$210
$1,911
Hospitals
$511
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$361
$4,119
Housing
$4,288
$9,315
Sewerage
$386
$1,423
Utilities
$1,339
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$6,301
$93,702
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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