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

Tulsa, OK vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Houston spends 63.5% more per capita than Tulsa ($9,150/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
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
Tulsa
Houston
Total Spending
$2.2B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$5,250
$14,400
Total Revenue
$0
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
411,938
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Tulsa$628
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Tulsa$196
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Tulsa$257
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Tulsa$154
Houston$361
Health
Tulsa$762
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaHouston
Sales Tax
$97
$181
Income Tax
$0
$39
Intergovernmental
$0
$33
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,475
Other
$53
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaHouston
Police
$628
$0
Fire Protection
$196
$295
Highways & Roads
$257
$175
Public Welfare
$86
$533
Health
$762
$210
Hospitals
$0
$511
Parks & Recreation
$154
$361
Housing
$350
$4,288
Sewerage
$27
$386
Utilities
$41
$1,339
Other
$2,748
$6,301
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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