Charlotte, NC vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $15,854, a 348% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Charlotte, NC edges Sacramento, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571 per resident, while Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Charlotte, NC and 8% in Sacramento, CA.
Summary
Sacramento spends 77.7% more per capita than Charlotte ($55,167/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $541 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $3,239 |
| Other | $4,866 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $463 | $2,466 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $3,470 |
| Health | $0 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $103 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $162 |
| Other | $3,448 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.