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

Austin, TX vs El Paso, TX

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

Summary

El Paso spends 10.3% more per capita than Austin ($2,487/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
El Paso, TX
Pop. 677,181
C
61/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
El Paso
Total Spending
$20.9B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$24,259
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$7,115
Total Debt
$1.2B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$0
Population
958,202
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Austin$0
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
Austin$634
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
El Paso$151
Education
Austin$51
El Paso$0
Health
Austin$517
El Paso$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinEl Paso
Sales Tax
$526
$65
Income Tax
$1,465
$12
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$690
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$31
Other
$5,645
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinEl Paso
Police
$0
$1,159
Fire Protection
$634
$233
Highways & Roads
$0
$83
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$299
Health
$517
$0
Hospitals
$664
$11
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$151
Housing
$3,741
$958
Sewerage
$865
$6
Utilities
$3,264
$224
Interest on Debt
$0
$40
General Admin
$0
$17,951
Other
$8,399
$3,145
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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