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

Houston, TX vs Wichita, KS

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

Summary

Houston spends 80.3% more per capita than Wichita ($6,414/person difference). Wichita, KS 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
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Houston
Wichita
Total Spending
$33.1B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$7,986
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$10.7B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$27,057
Total Debt
$2.0B
$52.2M
Debt / Capita
$863
$132
Population
2,296,253
395,951
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Houston$295
Wichita$152
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Wichita$126
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Wichita$874
Education
Houston$0
Wichita$2
Health
Houston$210
Wichita$254

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonWichita
Sales Tax
$181
$246
Income Tax
$39
$57
Intergovernmental
$33
$3,895
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$3,193
Other
$3,960
$2,783

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonWichita
Fire Protection
$295
$152
Highways & Roads
$175
$126
Education
$0
$2
Public Welfare
$533
$441
Health
$210
$254
Hospitals
$511
$113
Parks & Recreation
$361
$874
Housing
$4,288
$2,618
Sewerage
$386
$0
Utilities
$1,339
$1,225
Interest on Debt
$0
$70
Other
$6,301
$2,111
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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