El Paso, TX vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $9,085, a 167% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 21-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 Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
El Paso spends 167.0% more per capita than Las Vegas ($15,174/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $0 |
| Other | $550 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $705 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $958 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $332 |
| Utilities | $224 | $129 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.