Lubbock, TX vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Lubbock, TX spends 50% more per resident than Austin, TX: $32,743 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Lubbock, TX — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Lubbock, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Austin, TX carries $1,229 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Lubbock, TX leads with police at $322 per resident, while Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Lubbock, TX at 25% of total revenue, whereas Austin, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 18%.
Summary
Lubbock spends 50.4% more per capita than Austin ($10,971/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $76 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,247 |
| Other | $781 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $322 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $173 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $296 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $258 | $1,837 |
| Health | $0 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $13 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $2,128 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $865 |
| Utilities | $45 | $3,264 |
| General Admin | $26,777 | $0 |
| Other | $2,732 | $8,399 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.