Tucson, AZ vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
El Paso, TX spends 54% more per resident than Tucson, AZ: $24,259 against $15,759. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
El Paso, TX edges Tucson, AZ on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Tucson, AZ carries $1,540 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tucson, AZ leads with parks and recreation at $1,229 per resident, while El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Tucson, AZ and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
El Paso spends 35.0% more per capita than Tucson ($8,500/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 | $5 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $309 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $1,107 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,276 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,534 | $31 |
| Other | $952 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $330 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $83 |
| Public Welfare | $1,181 | $299 |
| Hospitals | $1,314 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,229 | $151 |
| Housing | $3,091 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $6 |
| Utilities | $3,555 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $3,322 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.