Jacksonville, FL vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $14,400, a 118% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jacksonville, FL at 14% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 118.5% more per capita than Houston ($17,057/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $533 |
| Health | $332 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $361 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $386 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.