Portland, OR vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX and Portland, OR spend within 2.5% of each other per resident — $24,259 versus $23,675 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Portland, OR edges El Paso, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 63/100 (grade C) 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 Portland, OR carries $1,574 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
El Paso spends 2.4% more per capita than Portland ($584/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $31 |
| Other | $7,916 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $299 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $151 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $6 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $6,689 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.