Sacramento, CA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $14,400, a 393% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 7% in Houston, TX.
Summary
Sacramento spends 393.2% more per capita than Houston ($56,621/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)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $3,475 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $533 |
| Health | $18 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $361 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $386 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.