El Paso, TX vs Phoenix, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 54% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $24,259 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ edges El Paso, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 67/100 (grade B) 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 Phoenix, AZ carries $1,156 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 Phoenix, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $652.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 100% in Phoenix, AZ.
Summary
El Paso spends 53.6% more per capita than Phoenix ($8,466/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $7 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $338 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $1,260 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $50,709 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,998 |
| Other | $550 | $2,038 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $170 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $86 |
| Education | $0 | $214 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $507 |
| Health | $0 | $258 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,521 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $652 |
| Housing | $958 | $3,879 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $388 |
| Utilities | $224 | $2,480 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $1,760 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $3,878 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.