Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fresno, CA vs Albuquerque, NM

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Fresno, CA outspends Albuquerque, NM by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $17,237, a 152% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 31-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fresno, CA at 19% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.

Summary

Fresno spends 151.7% more per capita than Albuquerque ($26,150/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Albuquerque, NM
Pop. 562,551
A
81/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
Albuquerque
Total Spending
$23.5B
$9.7B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$17,237
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$13.3B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$23,652
Total Debt
$0
$344.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$613
Population
541,528
562,551
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Albuquerque$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Albuquerque$440
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Albuquerque$172
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Albuquerque$1,990
Education
Fresno$3,942
Albuquerque$0
Health
Fresno$599
Albuquerque$291

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoAlbuquerque
Property Tax
$337
$36
Sales Tax
$19
$355
Income Tax
$501
$1,580
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$1,897
Charges & Fees
$11
$2,633
Other
$2,070
$2,174

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoAlbuquerque
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$440
Highways & Roads
$0
$172
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$419
Health
$599
$291
Hospitals
$0
$328
Parks & Recreation
$76
$1,990
Housing
$2,856
$4,080
Utilities
$15,340
$5,212
Interest on Debt
$255
$1,096
Other
$14,545
$3,209
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
A
Albuquerque, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.