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

Houston, TX vs San Jose, CA

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

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

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 Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
San Jose
Total Spending
$33.1B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$17,934
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$38,091
Total Debt
$2.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$863
$0
Population
2,296,253
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
San Jose$0
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
San Jose$1,424
Health
Houston$210
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonSan Jose
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)

HoustonSan Jose
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
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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