Houston Symphony Society: $33.4M Revenue, $34.4M Expenses

The composite efficiency score of 56/100 puts Houston Symphony Society at C — neither standout nor failing. Some factors run above the median (often reserves) while others run below (often revenue stability or officer-comp ratio).

Houston Symphony Society reported $33.4M in 2023 revenue — a mid-sized nonprofit by U.S. standards. Organizations in this bracket typically operate with a small permanent staff, project-based program structures, and modest reserves. Operating reserves at Houston Symphony Society are adequate: the balance sheet covers a reasonable share of annual expenses, though not a deep multi-year cushion.

Five-year revenue has grown modestly. Houston Symphony Society is not expanding rapidly but is not shrinking either; the trajectory is consistent with stable donor and grant relationships. Officer compensation is on the higher side of the band typical for nonprofits this size: $1.5M in total current-officer compensation against $33.4M in revenue. Not necessarily inappropriate — large healthcare systems and university systems often pay competitively with for-profit equivalents — but worth reading in context. Houston Symphony Society sits in the cultural-nonprofit sector (Arts, Culture & Humanities). Museum, performing-arts, and cultural organizations carry distinctive financial patterns — earned revenue from ticket sales and admissions, plus a heavy reliance on endowment income and major donor cycles.