El Paso, TX vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $24,259, a 132% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 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 Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 56.9% more per capita than El Paso ($32,013/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 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,790 |
| Other | $550 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $1,456 |
| Health | $0 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $593 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $325 |
| Utilities | $224 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $3 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.