San Francisco, CA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $24,259, a 659% 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 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Francisco, CA carries $2,031 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 7% of total revenue in San Francisco, CA and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
San Francisco spends 659.0% more per capita than El Paso ($159,872/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 | $148 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $31 |
| Other | $18,918 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $299 |
| Health | $1,911 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $151 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $6 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $40 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $17,951 |
| Other | $93,702 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.