El Paso, TX vs Albuquerque, NM
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 41% more per resident than Albuquerque, NM: $24,259 against $17,237. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159 per resident, while Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.
Summary
El Paso spends 40.7% more per capita than Albuquerque ($7,022/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $36 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $355 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $1,580 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $1,897 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,633 |
| Other | $550 | $2,174 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $440 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $172 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $419 |
| Health | $0 | $291 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $328 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,990 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,080 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $0 |
| Utilities | $224 | $5,212 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $1,096 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $3,209 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.