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

New York, NY vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

New York spends 796.7% more per capita than Houston ($114,720/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
New York, NY
Pop. 8,622,467
C
64/100
Budget Balance55
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
New York
Houston
Total Spending
$1113.3B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$129,119
$14,400
Total Revenue
$1271.6B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$147,477
$55,600
Total Debt
$4.0B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$462
$863
Population
8,622,467
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
New York$1,512
Houston$0
Fire Protection
New York$11,050
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
New York$221
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
New York$868
Houston$361
Education
New York$37,892
Houston$0
Health
New York$417
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkHouston
Property Tax
$5
$0
Sales Tax
$399
$181
Income Tax
$19
$39
Intergovernmental
$20,520
$33
Charges & Fees
$1,835
$3,475
Other
$3,593
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

New YorkHouston
Police
$1,512
$0
Fire Protection
$11,050
$295
Highways & Roads
$221
$175
Education
$37,892
$0
Public Welfare
$1,116
$533
Health
$417
$210
Hospitals
$6,467
$511
Parks & Recreation
$868
$361
Housing
$7,137
$4,288
Sewerage
$315
$386
Utilities
$13,371
$1,339
Interest on Debt
$11,706
$0
General Admin
$11,668
$0
Other
$25,380
$6,301
C
New York, NY
Fiscal Health Score: 64/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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