Raleigh, NC vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Houston, TX and Raleigh, NC spend within 3.5% of each other per resident — $14,400 versus $13,911 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Houston, TX edges Raleigh, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 83/100 (grade A) to 76/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Houston, TX carries the lighter load at $863 per resident versus $906 for Raleigh, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Raleigh, NC at $1,391 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Raleigh, NC at 47% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Houston spends 3.4% more per capita than Raleigh ($489/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 | $858 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,740 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $277 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $175 |
| Education | $6 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $361 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $0 |
| Other | $3,646 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.