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

Detroit, MI vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Detroit spends 96.1% more per capita than Charlotte ($15,234/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Charlotte
Total Spending
$19.8B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$15,854
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$49,746
Total Debt
$493.9M
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$776
$2,690
Population
636,787
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Detroit$396
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitCharlotte
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$541
Income Tax
$1,045
$366
Intergovernmental
$291
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$2,459
Other
$6,892
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitCharlotte
Fire Protection
$2,429
$463
Highways & Roads
$0
$41
Public Welfare
$833
$672
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,571
Housing
$5,791
$3,944
Sewerage
$451
$0
Utilities
$2,737
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$2,226
Other
$13,216
$3,448
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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