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

Concord, NC vs Winston-Salem, NC

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Concord, NC spends 29% more per resident than Winston-Salem, NC: $16,213 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 54/100 (grade C) for Concord, NC — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Winston-Salem, NC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Concord, NC carries $222 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Concord, NC at $981 per resident and in Winston-Salem, NC at $801.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Concord, NC at 100% of total revenue, whereas Winston-Salem, NC relies most on other revenue at 9%.

Summary

Concord spends 29.2% more per capita than Winston-Salem ($3,669/person difference). Winston-Salem, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 89/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Concord, NC
Pop. 105,335
C
54/100
Budget Balance6
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency84
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Winston-Salem, NC
Pop. 249,571
A
89/100
Budget Balance97
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Concord
Winston-Salem
Total Spending
$1.7B
$3.1B
Spending / Capita
$16,213
$12,544
Total Revenue
$600.8M
$8.2B
Revenue / Capita
$5,704
$33,050
Total Debt
$23.4M
$0
Debt / Capita
$222
$0
Population
105,335
249,571
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Concord$242
Winston-Salem$207
Highways & Roads
Concord$8
Winston-Salem$0
Parks & Recreation
Concord$981
Winston-Salem$801

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ConcordWinston-Salem
Property Tax
$15
$0
Sales Tax
$348
$297
Income Tax
$149
$521
Intergovernmental
$5,704
$2,560
Charges & Fees
$2,794
$2,604
Other
$2,455
$3,138

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ConcordWinston-Salem
Fire Protection
$242
$207
Highways & Roads
$8
$0
Public Welfare
$1,019
$632
Hospitals
$2,283
$875
Parks & Recreation
$981
$801
Housing
$2,735
$3,260
Sewerage
$0
$180
Utilities
$3,088
$2,767
Interest on Debt
$46
$865
Other
$5,812
$2,959
C
Concord, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 54/100
Average fiscal health
A
Winston-Salem, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 89/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.