El Paso, TX vs Portland, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX and Portland, OR spend within 2.5% of each other per resident — $24,259 versus $23,675 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Portland, OR edges El Paso, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 63/100 (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 Portland, OR carries $1,574 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 Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 19% in Portland, OR.
Summary
El Paso spends 2.5% more per capita than Portland ($584/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $1,695 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $130 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $8,979 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $3,883 |
| Other | $550 | $7,916 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $1,700 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $139 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $3,607 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $2,893 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $2,477 |
| Housing | $958 | $3,694 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $630 |
| Utilities | $224 | $1,845 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $6,689 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.