San Antonio, TX vs Corpus Christi, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Antonio, TX spends 36% more per resident than Corpus Christi, TX: $16,943 against $12,479. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Corpus Christi, TX edges San Antonio, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Corpus Christi, TX carries the lighter load at $1,866 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Antonio, TX at $1,045 per resident and in Corpus Christi, TX at $751.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in San Antonio, TX and 13% in Corpus Christi, TX.
Summary
San Antonio spends 35.8% more per capita than Corpus Christi ($4,464/person difference). Corpus Christi, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $373 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $346 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $1,344 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | $6,076 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $5,136 |
| Other | $3,184 | $3,079 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $52 |
| Fire Protection | $396 | $217 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $71 |
| Education | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $672 |
| Health | $293 | $167 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $1,004 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $751 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $2,573 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $117 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $3,402 |
| Other | $5,352 | $3,452 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.