Charlotte, NC vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 37% more per resident than Charlotte, NC: $21,772 against $15,854. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 63/100 (grade C) for Charlotte, NC — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Charlotte, NC at $1,571 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Charlotte, NC at 10% of total revenue, whereas Austin, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 18%.
Summary
Austin spends 27.2% more per capita than Charlotte ($5,918/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $3,247 |
| Other | $4,866 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $463 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $1,837 |
| Health | $0 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $865 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $3,264 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $0 |
| Other | $3,448 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.