El Paso, TX vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $24,259, a 79% 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 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in El Paso, TX at $1,159 per resident and in San Diego, CA at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in El Paso, TX at 10% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 44.0% more per capita than El Paso ($19,047/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $14 |
| Other | $550 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $700 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $436 |
| Housing | $958 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $43 |
| Utilities | $224 | $11,704 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.