Seattle, WA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Seattle spends 139.3% more per capita than Houston ($20,063/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Seattle
Houston
Total Spending
$25.3B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$34,463
$14,400
Total Revenue
$56.5B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$76,958
$55,600
Total Debt
$808.1M
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$1,100
$863
Population
734,603
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Seattle$210
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Seattle$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Seattle$3,923
Houston$361
Education
Seattle$1,461
Houston$0
Health
Seattle$1,131
Houston$210
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
SeattleHouston
| Property Tax | $1,831 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,094 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $3,496 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,846 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,960 | $3,475 |
| Other | $8,544 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
SeattleHouston
| Fire Protection | $210 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Education | $1,461 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,439 | $533 |
| Health | $1,131 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $1,871 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,923 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,727 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $952 | $386 |
| Utilities | $6,489 | $1,339 |
| Other | $11,260 | $6,301 |
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health