Boston, MA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boston, MA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $72,299 versus $24,259, a 198% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
El Paso, TX edges Boston, MA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Boston, MA carries $445 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Boston, MA leads with education at $30,742 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in Boston, MA and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
Boston spends 198.0% more per capita than El Paso ($48,040/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $78 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,357 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,784 | $31 |
| Other | $4,557 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $1,107 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $594 | $83 |
| Education | $30,742 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,110 | $299 |
| Health | $725 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,584 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $711 | $151 |
| Housing | $6,614 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $355 | $6 |
| Utilities | $3,402 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $40 |
| General Admin | $5,401 | $17,951 |
| Other | $18,955 | $3,145 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.