Santa Fe, NM vs Albuquerque, NM
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Albuquerque, NM spends 30% more per resident than Santa Fe, NM: $17,237 against $13,235. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Santa Fe, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 89/100 (grade A) against 81/100 (grade A) for Albuquerque, NM — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Santa Fe, NM reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Santa Fe, NM leads with police at $2,014 per resident, while Albuquerque, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,990.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Santa Fe, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Albuquerque, NM relies most on charges and fees at 11%.
Summary
Albuquerque spends 23.2% more per capita than Santa Fe ($4,002/person difference). Santa Fe, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $36 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $355 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,580 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,422 | $1,897 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,633 |
| Other | $2,563 | $2,174 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,014 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $69 | $440 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $172 |
| Public Welfare | $611 | $419 |
| Health | $0 | $291 |
| Hospitals | $548 | $328 |
| Parks & Recreation | $386 | $1,990 |
| Housing | $1,643 | $4,080 |
| Utilities | $882 | $5,212 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,096 |
| General Admin | $570 | $0 |
| Other | $6,513 | $3,209 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.