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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

San Diego, CA vs El Paso, TX

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Diego spends 78.5% more per capita than El Paso ($19,047/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50
City B
El Paso, TX
Pop. 677,181
C
61/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency69
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
El Paso
Total Spending
$59.9B
$16.4B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$24,259
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$4.8B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$7,115
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,383,987
677,181
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
El Paso$1,159
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
El Paso$233
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
El Paso$83
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
El Paso$151
Education
San Diego$2,005
El Paso$0
Health
San Diego$411
El Paso$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoEl Paso
Property Tax
$124
$0
Sales Tax
$63
$65
Income Tax
$194
$12
Intergovernmental
$57
$690
Charges & Fees
$14
$31
Other
$3,801
$550

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoEl Paso
Police
$3,335
$1,159
Fire Protection
$1,278
$233
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$83
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$299
Health
$411
$0
Hospitals
$0
$11
Parks & Recreation
$436
$151
Housing
$4,476
$958
Sewerage
$43
$6
Utilities
$11,704
$224
Interest on Debt
$0
$40
General Admin
$0
$17,951
Other
$17,509
$3,145
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
El Paso, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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