El Paso, TX vs Arlington, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Arlington, TX by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $11,769, a 106% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Arlington, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Arlington, TX carries $594 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 Arlington, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,352.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 41% in Arlington, TX.
Summary
El Paso spends 106.1% more per capita than Arlington ($12,490/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $507 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $73 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $25,062 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,949 |
| Other | $550 | $3,897 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $160 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $149 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $826 |
| Health | $0 | $219 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $152 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,352 |
| Housing | $958 | $2,981 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $141 |
| Utilities | $224 | $1,385 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $4,404 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.