Fresno, CA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 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 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 11-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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fresno, CA at 19% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
Fresno spends 78.8% more per capita than El Paso ($19,128/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 | $337 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $31 |
| Other | $2,070 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $83 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $299 |
| Health | $599 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $151 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $6 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $14,545 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.