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

San Jose, CA vs Houston, TX

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

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

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
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 Jose
Houston
Total Spending
$18.0B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$14,400
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
1,001,176
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Houston$361
Health
San Jose$609
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseHouston
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)

San JoseHouston
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
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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