San Jose, CA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA spends 25% more per resident than Houston, TX: $17,934 against $14,400. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Houston, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 83/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Jose, CA at $1,424 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in San Jose, CA and 7% in Houston, TX.
Summary
San Jose spends 24.5% more per capita than Houston ($3,535/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $40 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $3,475 |
| Other | $3,519 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $533 |
| Health | $609 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $361 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $1,339 |
| Other | $6,247 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.