Charlotte, NC vs Tulsa, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charlotte, NC outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $15,854 versus $5,250, a 202% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Charlotte, NC edges Tulsa, OK on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Tulsa, OK 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 Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.
Summary
Charlotte spends 202.0% more per capita than Tulsa ($10,603/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 | $97 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $0 |
| Other | $4,866 | $53 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $628 |
| Fire Protection | $463 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $257 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $86 |
| Health | $0 | $762 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $154 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $350 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $27 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $41 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $0 |
| Other | $3,448 | $2,748 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.