Charlotte, NC vs Winston-Salem, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charlotte, NC spends 26% more per resident than Winston-Salem, NC: $15,854 against $12,544. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Winston-Salem, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 89/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Charlotte, NC — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Winston-Salem, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Charlotte, NC carries $2,690 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Charlotte, NC at $1,571 per resident and in Winston-Salem, NC at $801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 10% of total revenue in Charlotte, NC and 9% in Winston-Salem, NC.
Summary
Charlotte spends 26.4% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($3,309/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $541 | $297 |
| Income Tax | $366 | $521 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,859 | $2,560 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,459 | $2,604 |
| Other | $4,866 | $3,138 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $463 | $207 |
| Highways & Roads | $41 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $672 | $632 |
| Hospitals | $1,243 | $875 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,571 | $801 |
| Housing | $3,944 | $3,260 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $180 |
| Utilities | $2,244 | $2,767 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,226 | $865 |
| Other | $3,448 | $2,959 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.