Charlotte, NC vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $15,854, a 116% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Long Beach, CA edges Charlotte, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 67/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. 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 Long Beach, CA at $698.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Charlotte, NC and 12% in Long Beach, CA.
Summary
Long Beach spends 53.7% more per capita than Charlotte ($18,397/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $2,424 |
| Other | $4,866 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $463 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $1,317 |
| Health | $0 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $698 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $86 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $2,718 |
| Other | $3,448 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.