Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Lubbock, TX vs San Antonio, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Lubbock, TX outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $32,743 versus $16,943, a 93% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

San Antonio, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Lubbock, TX — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Lubbock, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Antonio, TX carries $2,131 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Lubbock, TX leads with police at $322 per resident, while San Antonio, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,045.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Lubbock, TX at 25% of total revenue, whereas San Antonio, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.

Summary

Lubbock spends 93.3% more per capita than San Antonio ($15,801/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).

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
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lubbock
San Antonio
Total Spending
$8.5B
$24.5B
Spending / Capita
$32,743
$16,943
Total Revenue
$791.3M
$124.1B
Revenue / Capita
$3,065
$85,853
Total Debt
$0
$3.1B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,131
Population
258,190
1,445,662
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Lubbock$322
San Antonio$0
Fire Protection
Lubbock$173
San Antonio$396
Highways & Roads
Lubbock$296
San Antonio$158
Parks & Recreation
Lubbock$13
San Antonio$1,045
Education
Lubbock$0
San Antonio$23
Health
Lubbock$0
San Antonio$293

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

LubbockSan Antonio
Property Tax
$0
$9
Sales Tax
$2
$293
Income Tax
$0
$1,000
Intergovernmental
$76
$14,312
Charges & Fees
$0
$4,025
Other
$781
$3,184

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

LubbockSan Antonio
Police
$322
$0
Fire Protection
$173
$396
Highways & Roads
$296
$158
Education
$0
$23
Public Welfare
$258
$1,188
Health
$0
$293
Hospitals
$0
$993
Parks & Recreation
$13
$1,045
Housing
$2,128
$3,570
Sewerage
$0
$100
Utilities
$45
$3,826
General Admin
$26,777
$0
Other
$2,732
$5,352
C
Lubbock, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.