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

Charlotte, NC vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 14.0% more per capita than Raleigh ($1,943/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Charlotte
Raleigh
Total Spending
$13.9B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$13,911
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$29,940
Total Debt
$2.4B
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$906
Population
875,045
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Charlotte$0
Raleigh$6

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteRaleigh
Sales Tax
$541
$858
Income Tax
$366
$806
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$2,681
Other
$4,866
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteRaleigh
Fire Protection
$463
$277
Highways & Roads
$41
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$672
$498
Hospitals
$1,243
$669
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$1,391
Housing
$3,944
$2,712
Sewerage
$0
$281
Utilities
$2,244
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$1,513
Other
$3,448
$3,646
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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