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

Santa Fe, NM vs Albuquerque, NM

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

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

City A
Santa Fe, NM
Pop. 87,617
A
89/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Albuquerque, NM
Pop. 562,551
A
81/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden94
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
Total Spending
$1.2B
$9.7B
Spending / Capita
$13,235
$17,237
Total Revenue
$2.0B
$13.3B
Revenue / Capita
$22,400
$23,652
Total Debt
$0
$344.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$613
Population
87,617
562,551
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Santa Fe$2,014
Albuquerque$0
Fire Protection
Santa Fe$69
Albuquerque$440
Highways & Roads
Santa Fe$0
Albuquerque$172
Parks & Recreation
Santa Fe$386
Albuquerque$1,990
Health
Santa Fe$0
Albuquerque$291

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Santa FeAlbuquerque
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)

Santa FeAlbuquerque
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
A
Santa Fe, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Albuquerque, NM
Fiscal Health Score: 81/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.