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

Charlotte, NC vs Wilmington, NC

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 17.9% more per capita than Wilmington ($2,410/person difference). Wilmington, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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
Wilmington, NC
Pop. 116,933
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Charlotte
Wilmington
Total Spending
$13.9B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$13,444
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$2.6B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$22,288
Total Debt
$2.4B
$0
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$0
Population
875,045
116,933
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Wilmington$305
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Wilmington$269
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Wilmington$966

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteWilmington
Sales Tax
$541
$689
Income Tax
$366
$0
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$2,051
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$0
Other
$4,866
$1,201

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteWilmington
Fire Protection
$463
$305
Highways & Roads
$41
$269
Public Welfare
$672
$811
Hospitals
$1,243
$1,195
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$966
Housing
$3,944
$3,380
Sewerage
$0
$88
Utilities
$2,244
$1,119
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$320
Other
$3,448
$4,991
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
A
Wilmington, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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