Charlotte, NC vs New York, NY

New York, NY outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $15,854, a 714% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

New York, NY edges Charlotte, NC on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 64/100 (grade C) 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.

On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571 per resident, while New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Charlotte, NC at 10% of total revenue, whereas New York, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.