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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

San Antonio, TX vs Houston, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Antonio spends 17.7% more per capita than Houston ($2,543/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Antonio
Houston
Total Spending
$24.5B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$16,943
$14,400
Total Revenue
$124.1B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$85,853
$55,600
Total Debt
$3.1B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$2,131
$863
Population
1,445,662
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Antonio$396
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
San Antonio$158
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
San Antonio$1,045
Houston$361
Education
San Antonio$23
Houston$0
Health
San Antonio$293
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioHouston
Property Tax
$9
$0
Sales Tax
$293
$181
Income Tax
$1,000
$39
Intergovernmental
$14,312
$33
Charges & Fees
$4,025
$3,475
Other
$3,184
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioHouston
Fire Protection
$396
$295
Highways & Roads
$158
$175
Education
$23
$0
Public Welfare
$1,188
$533
Health
$293
$210
Hospitals
$993
$511
Parks & Recreation
$1,045
$361
Housing
$3,570
$4,288
Sewerage
$100
$386
Utilities
$3,826
$1,339
Other
$5,352
$6,301
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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