Baltimore, MD vs Charlotte, NC

Baltimore, MD outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $15,854, a 329% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Baltimore, MD edges Charlotte, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Baltimore, MD reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510 per resident, while Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Baltimore, MD at 7% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.