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

Denver, CO vs El Paso, TX

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

Summary

Denver spends 38.4% more per capita than El Paso ($9,323/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
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
Denver
El Paso
Total Spending
$23.9B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$33,582
$24,259
Total Revenue
$86.8B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$122,063
$7,115
Total Debt
$3.6B
$0
Debt / Capita
$5,126
$0
Population
710,800
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Denver$2,455
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
Denver$1,668
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
Denver$475
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
Denver$3,319
El Paso$151
Education
Denver$821
El Paso$0
Health
Denver$693
El Paso$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverEl Paso
Sales Tax
$2,070
$65
Income Tax
$236
$12
Intergovernmental
$44,661
$690
Charges & Fees
$5,207
$31
Other
$10,100
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DenverEl Paso
Police
$2,455
$1,159
Fire Protection
$1,668
$233
Highways & Roads
$475
$83
Education
$821
$0
Public Welfare
$764
$299
Health
$693
$0
Hospitals
$2,855
$11
Parks & Recreation
$3,319
$151
Housing
$3,565
$958
Sewerage
$293
$6
Utilities
$4,292
$224
Interest on Debt
$7
$40
General Admin
$364
$17,951
Other
$12,011
$3,145
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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