Philadelphia, PA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $24,259, a 132% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 132.0% more per capita than El Paso ($32,013/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)
| Sales Tax | $107 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $31 |
| Other | $4,029 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $299 |
| Health | $229 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $151 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $6 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $30,692 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.