El Paso, TX vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Raleigh, NC by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $13,911, a 74% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 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 Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 47% in Raleigh, NC.
Summary
El Paso spends 74.4% more per capita than Raleigh ($10,348/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $2,681 |
| Other | $550 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $448 |
| Education | $0 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $498 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $958 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $281 |
| Utilities | $224 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $1,513 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.