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

Lubbock, TX vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Lubbock spends 127.4% more per capita than Houston ($18,343/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Lubbock, TX
Pop. 258,190
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency30
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lubbock
Houston
Total Spending
$8.5B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$32,743
$14,400
Total Revenue
$791.3M
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$3,065
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
258,190
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Lubbock$322
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Lubbock$173
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Lubbock$296
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Lubbock$13
Houston$361
Health
Lubbock$0
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

LubbockHouston
Sales Tax
$2
$181
Income Tax
$0
$39
Intergovernmental
$76
$33
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,475
Other
$781
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

LubbockHouston
Police
$322
$0
Fire Protection
$173
$295
Highways & Roads
$296
$175
Public Welfare
$258
$533
Health
$0
$210
Hospitals
$0
$511
Parks & Recreation
$13
$361
Housing
$2,128
$4,288
Sewerage
$0
$386
Utilities
$45
$1,339
General Admin
$26,777
$0
Other
$2,732
$6,301
C
Lubbock, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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