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

Cary, NC vs Wilmington, NC

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

Summary

Cary spends 19.4% more per capita than Wilmington ($2,613/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Wilmington, NC
Pop. 116,933
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cary
Wilmington
Total Spending
$2.8B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$16,057
$13,444
Total Revenue
$4.6B
$2.6B
Revenue / Capita
$26,541
$22,288
Total Debt
$101.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$582
$0
Population
174,880
116,933
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cary$353
Wilmington$305
Highways & Roads
Cary$0
Wilmington$269
Parks & Recreation
Cary$1,581
Wilmington$966

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryWilmington
Sales Tax
$493
$689
Income Tax
$801
$0
Intergovernmental
$26,541
$2,051
Charges & Fees
$1,981
$0
Other
$3,182
$1,201

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryWilmington
Fire Protection
$353
$305
Highways & Roads
$0
$269
Public Welfare
$58
$811
Hospitals
$322
$1,195
Parks & Recreation
$1,581
$966
Housing
$1,880
$3,380
Sewerage
$338
$88
Utilities
$3,759
$1,119
Interest on Debt
$733
$320
Other
$7,034
$4,991
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities