Philadelphia, PA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $14,400, a 291% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 38-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 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 Philadelphia, PA at 16% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 290.8% more per capita than Houston ($41,872/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 | $107 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $533 |
| Health | $229 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $386 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.