Phoenix, AZ vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 54% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $24,259 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ edges El Paso, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 67/100 (grade B) to 61/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Phoenix, AZ carries $1,156 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Phoenix, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $652 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Phoenix, AZ and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
El Paso spends 34.9% more per capita than Phoenix ($8,466/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $7 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $338 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $1,260 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $50,709 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,998 | $31 |
| Other | $2,038 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $170 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $86 | $83 |
| Education | $214 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $507 | $299 |
| Health | $258 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,521 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $652 | $151 |
| Housing | $3,879 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $388 | $6 |
| Utilities | $2,480 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,760 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $3,878 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.