Detroit, MI vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Detroit, MI spends 28% more per resident than El Paso, TX: $31,087 against $24,259. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Detroit, MI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Detroit, MI at 15% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.