El Paso, TX vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Miami, FL spends 16% more per resident than El Paso, TX: $28,195 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 53/100 (grade C) for Miami, FL — a 8-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 Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Miami spends 14.0% more per capita than El Paso ($3,936/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $0 |
| Other | $550 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $7,399 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $109 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $958 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $699 |
| Utilities | $224 | $1,295 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.