El Paso, TX vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $14,400, a 68% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 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 Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
El Paso spends 68.5% more per capita than Houston ($9,859/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $3,475 |
| Other | $550 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $361 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $386 |
| Utilities | $224 | $1,339 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.