Austin, TX vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 57% more per resident than Raleigh, NC: $21,772 against $13,911. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC edges Austin, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 76/100 (grade B) to 75/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Raleigh, NC carries the lighter load at $906 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Austin, TX at $1,801 per resident and in Raleigh, NC at $1,391.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 18% of total revenue in Austin, TX and 47% in Raleigh, NC.
Summary
Austin spends 56.5% more per capita than Raleigh ($7,861/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $526 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $2,681 |
| Other | $5,645 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $634 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $448 |
| Education | $51 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $498 |
| Health | $517 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $281 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,513 |
| Other | $8,399 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.