Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $14,400, a 240% 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 47/100 (grade D) for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN — a 36-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $2,292 for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at 10% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 239.9% more per capita than Houston ($34,548/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)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,617 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $175 |
| Education | $21,061 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $533 |
| Health | $672 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $386 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $0 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $0 |
| Other | $10,028 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.