Albuquerque, NM vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 41% more per resident than Albuquerque, NM: $24,259 against $17,237. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, 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 El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
El Paso spends 28.9% more per capita than Albuquerque ($7,022/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $36 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $355 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,897 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $31 |
| Other | $2,174 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $440 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $172 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $419 | $299 |
| Health | $291 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $328 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,990 | $151 |
| Housing | $4,080 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $6 |
| Utilities | $5,212 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,096 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $3,209 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.