El Paso, TX vs Baltimore, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baltimore, MD outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $24,259, a 180% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Baltimore, MD holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 9-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159 per resident, while Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 7% in Baltimore, MD.
Summary
Baltimore spends 64.3% more per capita than El Paso ($43,676/person difference). Baltimore, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $84 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $55 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $375 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $5,085 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,192 |
| Other | $550 | $4,765 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $820 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $1,214 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $676 |
| Education | $0 | $35,510 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $714 |
| Health | $0 | $757 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,877 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $384 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,087 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $87 |
| Utilities | $224 | $3,809 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $19 |
| Other | $3,145 | $17,981 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.