Phoenix, AZ vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Phoenix spends 9.7% more per capita than Houston ($1,393/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Phoenix
Houston
Total Spending
$25.4B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$14,400
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$55,600
Total Debt
$1.9B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$863
Population
1,609,456
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Houston$361
Education
Phoenix$214
Houston$0
Health
Phoenix$258
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhoenixHouston
| Property Tax | $7 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $338 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,260 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $50,709 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,998 | $3,475 |
| Other | $2,038 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhoenixHouston
| Fire Protection | $170 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $86 | $175 |
| Education | $214 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $507 | $533 |
| Health | $258 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $1,521 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $652 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,879 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $388 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,480 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,760 | $0 |
| Other | $3,878 | $6,301 |
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health