Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Cary, NC vs Fayetteville, NC

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

Summary

Cary spends 14.3% more per capita than Fayetteville ($2,008/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Cary, NC
Pop. 174,880
B
70/100
Budget Balance86
Debt Burden80
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Fayetteville, NC
Pop. 208,697
B
70/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cary
Fayetteville
Total Spending
$2.8B
$2.9B
Spending / Capita
$16,057
$14,049
Total Revenue
$4.6B
$8.5B
Revenue / Capita
$26,541
$40,860
Total Debt
$101.8M
$365.1M
Debt / Capita
$582
$1,749
Population
174,880
208,697
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cary$353
Fayetteville$196
Parks & Recreation
Cary$1,581
Fayetteville$1,062

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryFayetteville
Sales Tax
$493
$124
Income Tax
$801
$717
Intergovernmental
$26,541
$1,555
Charges & Fees
$1,981
$3,488
Other
$3,182
$3,474

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryFayetteville
Fire Protection
$353
$196
Public Welfare
$58
$378
Hospitals
$322
$319
Parks & Recreation
$1,581
$1,062
Housing
$1,880
$2,914
Sewerage
$338
$0
Utilities
$3,759
$3,100
Interest on Debt
$733
$628
Other
$7,034
$5,454
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
B
Fayetteville, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities