Charlotte, NC vs Greensboro, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greensboro, NC spends 22% more per resident than Charlotte, NC: $19,352 against $15,854. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Charlotte, NC edges Greensboro, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 58/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Greensboro, NC carries the lighter load at $1,773 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 Greensboro, NC at $3,225.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Charlotte, NC and 12% in Greensboro, NC.
Summary
Greensboro spends 18.1% more per capita than Charlotte ($3,498/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $2,502 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $801 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $2,640 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $2,498 |
| Other | $4,866 | $2,691 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $463 | $340 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $570 |
| Education | $0 | $33 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $1,134 |
| Health | $0 | $329 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $911 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $3,225 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $3,186 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $207 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $2,932 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $1,328 |
| Other | $3,448 | $5,155 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.