Santa Fe, NM vs Las Cruces, NM

Las Cruces, NM and Santa Fe, NM spend within 11.1% of each other per resident — $14,707 versus $13,235 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Santa Fe, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 89/100 (grade A) against 76/100 (grade B) for Las Cruces, NM — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Santa Fe, NM reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Las Cruces, NM carries $666 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 Las Cruces, NM leads with parks and recreation at $1,345.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Santa Fe, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Las Cruces, NM relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 20%.