Houston, TX vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA spends 25% more per resident than Houston, TX: $17,934 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Houston, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 83/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. 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 Jose, CA at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 7% of total revenue in Houston, TX and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
San Jose spends 19.7% more per capita than Houston ($3,535/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $608 |
| Other | $3,960 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $810 |
| Health | $210 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $161 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,533 |
| Other | $6,301 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.