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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Cary, NC vs Winston-Salem, NC

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

Summary

Cary spends 28.0% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($3,513/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).

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
Winston-Salem, NC
Pop. 249,571
A
89/100
Budget Balance97
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Cary
Winston-Salem
Total Spending
$2.8B
$3.1B
Spending / Capita
$16,057
$12,544
Total Revenue
$4.6B
$8.2B
Revenue / Capita
$26,541
$33,050
Total Debt
$101.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$582
$0
Population
174,880
249,571
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Cary$353
Winston-Salem$207
Parks & Recreation
Cary$1,581
Winston-Salem$801

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryWinston-Salem
Sales Tax
$493
$297
Income Tax
$801
$521
Intergovernmental
$26,541
$2,560
Charges & Fees
$1,981
$2,604
Other
$3,182
$3,138

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CaryWinston-Salem
Fire Protection
$353
$207
Public Welfare
$58
$632
Hospitals
$322
$875
Parks & Recreation
$1,581
$801
Housing
$1,880
$3,260
Sewerage
$338
$180
Utilities
$3,759
$2,767
Interest on Debt
$733
$865
Other
$7,034
$2,959
B
Cary, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health

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