Houston, TX vs Seattle, WA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Seattle spends 58.2% more per capita than Houston ($20,063/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Houston
Seattle
Total Spending
$33.1B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$34,463
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$76,958
Total Debt
$2.0B
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$863
$1,100
Population
2,296,253
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Seattle$210
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Seattle$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Seattle$3,923
Education
Houston$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Houston$210
Seattle$1,131
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonSeattle
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,831 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $1,094 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $3,496 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $9,846 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $3,960 |
| Other | $3,960 | $8,544 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
HoustonSeattle
| Fire Protection | $295 | $210 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $1,461 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $3,439 |
| Health | $210 | $1,131 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $1,871 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $3,923 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,727 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $952 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $6,489 |
| Other | $6,301 | $11,260 |
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health