El Paso, TX vs Colorado Springs, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $13,222, a 83% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
El Paso, TX edges Colorado Springs, CO on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 59/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Colorado Springs, CO carries $3,063 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 Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 13% in Colorado Springs, CO.
Summary
El Paso spends 83.5% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($11,037/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $257 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $6,902 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $5,676 |
| Other | $550 | $2,678 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $1,266 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $575 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $416 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $376 |
| Housing | $958 | $2,713 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $0 |
| Utilities | $224 | $2,566 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $190 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $5,120 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.