El Paso, TX vs Tucson, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 54% more per resident than Tucson, AZ: $24,259 against $15,759. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
El Paso, TX edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (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 Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 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 Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 100% in Tucson, AZ.
Summary
El Paso spends 53.9% more per capita than Tucson ($8,500/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 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $65 | $309 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $1,107 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $23,276 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $4,534 |
| Other | $550 | $952 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $330 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $1,181 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,314 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,229 |
| Housing | $958 | $3,091 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $0 |
| Utilities | $224 | $3,555 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $1,735 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $3,322 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.