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

Detroit, MI vs El Paso, TX

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

Summary

Detroit spends 28.1% more per capita than El Paso ($6,828/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
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
Detroit
El Paso
Total Spending
$19.8B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$24,259
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$7,115
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Detroit$0
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
El Paso$151
Health
Detroit$396
El Paso$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitEl Paso
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$65
Income Tax
$1,045
$12
Intergovernmental
$291
$690
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$31
Other
$6,892
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitEl Paso
Police
$0
$1,159
Fire Protection
$2,429
$233
Highways & Roads
$0
$83
Public Welfare
$833
$299
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$11
Parks & Recreation
$950
$151
Housing
$5,791
$958
Sewerage
$451
$6
Utilities
$2,737
$224
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$40
General Admin
$0
$17,951
Other
$13,216
$3,145
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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