Los Angeles, CA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $24,259, a 252% 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 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 14-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 Los Angeles, CA at $4,111 per resident and in El Paso, TX at $1,159.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Los Angeles, CA at 51% of total revenue, whereas El Paso, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 10%.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 252.2% more per capita than El Paso ($61,173/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 | $64 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $77 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $307 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $134 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $459 | $31 |
| Other | $9,048 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $4,111 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $1,057 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $503 | $83 |
| Education | $829 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,286 | $299 |
| Health | $409 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,135 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,347 | $151 |
| Housing | $6,325 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $34 | $6 |
| Utilities | $21,992 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $630 | $40 |
| General Admin | $11,586 | $17,951 |
| Other | $33,189 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.