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

San Francisco, CA vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 1178.7% more per capita than Houston ($169,731/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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 Francisco
Houston
Total Spending
$156.7B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$14,400
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$55,600
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$863
Population
851,036
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Houston$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Houston$361
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoHouston
Property Tax
$148
$0
Sales Tax
$3,028
$181
Income Tax
$269
$39
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$33
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$3,475
Other
$18,918
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoHouston
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$295
Highways & Roads
$0
$175
Public Welfare
$2,203
$533
Health
$1,911
$210
Hospitals
$6,939
$511
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$361
Housing
$9,315
$4,288
Sewerage
$1,423
$386
Utilities
$21,190
$1,339
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$6,301
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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