El Paso, TX vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $24,259, a 79% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
El Paso, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 11-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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.
Summary
Fresno spends 44.1% more per capita than El Paso ($19,128/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $11 |
| Other | $550 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $568 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $1,946 |
| Health | $0 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $76 |
| Housing | $958 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $0 |
| Utilities | $224 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $255 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.