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

Albuquerque, NM vs Dallas, TX

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Dallas, TX outspends Albuquerque, NM by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $17,237, a 102% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dallas, TX — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.

They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.

Summary

Dallas spends 50.5% more per capita than Albuquerque ($17,612/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Albuquerque, NM
Pop. 562,551
A
81/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Dallas, TX
Pop. 1,300,642
C
57/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency21
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Albuquerque
Dallas
Total Spending
$9.7B
$45.3B
Spending / Capita
$17,237
$34,849
Total Revenue
$13.3B
$7.1B
Revenue / Capita
$23,652
$5,474
Total Debt
$344.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$613
$0
Population
562,551
1,300,642
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Albuquerque$0
Dallas$1,519
Fire Protection
Albuquerque$440
Dallas$305
Highways & Roads
Albuquerque$172
Dallas$201
Parks & Recreation
Albuquerque$1,990
Dallas$0
Education
Albuquerque$0
Dallas$62
Health
Albuquerque$291
Dallas$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AlbuquerqueDallas
Property Tax
$36
$9
Sales Tax
$355
$25
Income Tax
$1,580
$0
Intergovernmental
$1,897
$1,223
Charges & Fees
$2,633
$0
Other
$2,174
$584

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AlbuquerqueDallas
Police
$0
$1,519
Fire Protection
$440
$305
Highways & Roads
$172
$201
Education
$0
$62
Public Welfare
$419
$215
Health
$291
$0
Hospitals
$328
$385
Parks & Recreation
$1,990
$0
Housing
$4,080
$444
Utilities
$5,212
$833
Interest on Debt
$1,096
$0
General Admin
$0
$25,827
Other
$3,209
$5,059
A
Albuquerque, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Dallas, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.