Oklahoma City, OK vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 20% more per resident than Oklahoma City, OK: $21,772 against $18,074. 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 65/100 (grade B) for Oklahoma City, OK — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Oklahoma City, OK and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Austin spends 17.0% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($3,698/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 | $763 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $1,037 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,852 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,256 | $3,247 |
| Other | $1,836 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $513 | $634 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $1,525 | $1,837 |
| Health | $5 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $2,044 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,014 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $2,857 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $865 |
| Utilities | $4,523 | $3,264 |
| Interest on Debt | $707 | $0 |
| Other | $3,886 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.