El Paso, TX vs New York, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New York, NY outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $24,259, a 432% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
New York, NY edges El Paso, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 64/100 (grade C) to 61/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while New York, NY carries $462 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 New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 14% in New York, NY.
Summary
New York spends 81.2% more per capita than El Paso ($104,860/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $399 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $19 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $20,520 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $1,835 |
| Other | $550 | $3,593 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $1,512 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $11,050 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $221 |
| Education | $0 | $37,892 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $1,116 |
| Health | $0 | $417 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $6,467 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $868 |
| Housing | $958 | $7,137 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $315 |
| Utilities | $224 | $13,371 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $11,706 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $11,668 |
| Other | $3,145 | $25,380 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.