El Paso, TX vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $48,948 versus $24,259, a 102% 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 47/100 (grade D) for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN carries $2,292 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN leads with education at $21,061.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 10% in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 50.4% more per capita than El Paso ($24,689/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)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $373 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $135 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $13,787 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,444 |
| Other | $550 | $4,617 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $468 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $11 |
| Education | $0 | $21,061 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $738 |
| Health | $0 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $2,100 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,015 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,231 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $217 |
| Utilities | $224 | $3,140 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $1,667 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $2,081 |
| Other | $3,145 | $10,028 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.