El Paso, TX vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO spends 38% more per resident than El Paso, TX: $33,582 against $24,259. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
El Paso, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 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 Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 37% in Denver, CO.
Summary
Denver spends 27.8% more per capita than El Paso ($9,323/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 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $5,207 |
| Other | $550 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $475 |
| Education | $0 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $764 |
| Health | $0 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $958 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $293 |
| Utilities | $224 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $7 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $364 |
| Other | $3,145 | $12,011 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.