Houston, TX vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $24,259 versus $14,400, a 68% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for El Paso, TX — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361 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 Houston, TX at 7% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
El Paso spends 40.6% more per capita than Houston ($9,859/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $181 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $31 |
| Other | $3,960 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $295 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $299 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $151 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $6 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $6,301 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.