El Paso, TX vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Detroit, MI spends 28% more per resident than El Paso, TX: $31,087 against $24,259. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Detroit, MI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 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 Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Detroit, MI relies most on other revenue at 15%.
Summary
Detroit spends 22.0% more per capita than El Paso ($6,828/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,228 |
| Other | $550 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $833 |
| Health | $0 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $950 |
| Housing | $958 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $451 |
| Utilities | $224 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $13,216 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.