Portland, OR vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $23,675 versus $14,400, a 64% 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 63/100 (grade C) for Portland, OR — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $1,574 for Portland, OR. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Portland, OR at $2,477 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Portland, OR at 19% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Portland spends 64.4% more per capita than Houston ($9,275/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 | $1,695 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $3,475 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $386 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $1,339 |
| Other | $6,689 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.